{"659229":{"#nid":"659229","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Cleanroom User Spotlight: Alex Weidenbach","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAlex Weidenbach is a graduate research assistant and Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech working with W. Alan Doolittle. In the following Q\u0026amp;A, Weidenbach briefly discusses his work in the IEN cleanroom and gives advice to current and future users.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow long have you been using the IEN Cleanroom? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI was hired as an intern at the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology (IEN) in 2014 during my undergraduate studies at Georgia Tech. In this role, I worked with both the processing and equipment teams and gained a wide range of skills in just about every aspect of cleanroom work. Those skills ultimately led to a job at Axion Biosystems, a local BioMEMS company, upon graduation. While at Axion, I continued to work in the inorganic cleanroom on proprietary research on microelectrode arrays (MEAs). I also developed some new fabrication processes to increase Axion\u0026rsquo;s manufacturing throughput. I returned to Georgia Tech to pursue my Ph.D., and I am currently in my fifth year of Ph.D. studies under \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ece.gatech.edu\/faculty-staff-directory\/william-alan-doolittle\u0022\u003EProfessor W. Alan Doolittle\u003C\/a\u003E. All in all, I have been working in the inorganic cleanroom for the past seven years, and I have done everything from tool maintenance to consulting to academic research.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat tools do you use when you are in the cleanroom and what are you doing?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EI primarily use the Denton Discovery 2 sputterer to co-deposit lithium-containing films to make memristive devices for neuromorphic computing applications. To make these films into devices, I frequently use a plethora of tools in the IEN cleanroom which includes the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=407\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003ESCS G3P8 Spinner\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=446\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003EKarl Suss TSA MA-6 Mask aligner\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=1296\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003EHeidelberg MLA 150\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=370\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003EVision RIE\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=554\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003EPlasma Therm ICP\u003C\/a\u003E, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=3\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003ECtrLayer AET RTP\u003C\/a\u003E, and the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sums.gatech.edu\/SUMS_React\/View_Equipment_React?ToolId=400\u0026amp;DepartmentId=2\u0022\u003ESSI RTP\u003C\/a\u003E. I regularly need photolithography, dry etching, and rapid thermal annealing to finish my devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is\/has been your favorite project you have worked on in the IEN cleanroom? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy own research on memristive devices has been the most rewarding work I\u0026rsquo;ve done in the IEN cleanroom, though I\u0026rsquo;m not sure there has been a project that I did not enjoy. I find fabrication to be mentally satisfying and personally fulfilling, so I find enjoyment in the cleanroom work itself. I especially enjoy interacting with other users, recommending tools, and trying to help improve their process flows.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat advice do you have for people thinking about using a tool in the IEN cleanroom? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy advice to future cleanroom users is to make sure you get trained on multiple tools that can perform the same process. Having backup tools ready in case your favorite tool goes down or you run into issues is an absolute must, and it will save you countless hours in the future. Plan ahead and get trained on as many tools as possible. Also, take care to understand how the tool works and what exactly the tool is doing rather than just learning how to operate it. By knowing what is going on inside the chamber of the tool you are using you can more easily debug your process when you inevitably run into problems or challenges with your devices.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your favorite thing about the IEN Cleanroom?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMy favorite things about the IEN cleanroom are the number of tool options and the amount of space available to quickly prototype new devices and explore fabrication processes. There are not many general-use cleanrooms set up to do what IEN does at the scope in which it operates. Having so many tools available really makes exploring new fabrication techniques and replicating research easier.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":"","field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Weidenbach is a Graduate Research Assistant working on memristive devices in the IEN Cleanroom"}],"uid":"34760","created_gmt":"2022-07-05 13:01:17","changed_gmt":"2022-07-05 13:01:17","author":"Laurie Haigh","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2022-07-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2022-07-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"659228":{"id":"659228","type":"image","title":"IEN Cleanroom User Alex Weidenbach","body":null,"created":"1657024748","gmt_created":"2022-07-05 12:39:08","changed":"1657024748","gmt_changed":"2022-07-05 12:39:08","alt":"Alex Weidenbach","file":{"fid":"249888","name":"Alex Weidenbach-nanoscope.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Alex%20Weidenbach-nanoscope.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/Alex%20Weidenbach-nanoscope.png","mime":"image\/png","size":142076,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/Alex%20Weidenbach-nanoscope.png?itok=pd5yeLoD"}}},"media_ids":["659228"],"groups":[{"id":"197261","name":"Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187433","name":"go-ien"},{"id":"190904","name":"cleanroom user spotlight"},{"id":"190905","name":"memristive devices"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39451","name":"Electronics and Nanotechnology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:laurie.haigh@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELaurie Haigh\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}