Seminar title

From Atoms to AI: Using Materials to Enable Next Generation Semiconductor Devices

Speaker

Thomas J. Knisley, Ph.D., Senior Manager, Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials

Abstract

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is placing profoundly new demands on semiconductor devices, driving a transition away from traditional scaling toward architectural and materials‑driven innovation. Emerging device concepts - including gate‑all‑around (GAA) transistors, backside power delivery, and advanced memory architectures such as 4F² memory and 3D‑DRAM - represent critical inflection points in how performance, power efficiency, and system-level integration density are achieved for AI workloads.

This talk examines these inflections through a materials‑centric perspective, emphasizing the role of chemistry in enabling increasingly complex three‑dimensional device architectures. I will discuss how advances in thin‑film deposition, precursor and process design, and surface reaction mechanisms are allowing precise control over materials placement, composition, and interfaces at the atomic scale. Particular attention will be given to challenges associated with conformal growth, selective processing, and interface engineering in high‑aspect‑ratio and buried features that are central to enabling next‑generation logic and memory devices.

By explicitly connecting device architecture requirements to the underlying chemical and physical principles that govern materials formation, this presentation aims to highlight rich research directions at the intersection of engineering, materials science, and chemistry. The discussion will underscore how atomic‑scale materials control increasingly dictates system‑level outcomes- and why chemistry‑driven innovation will be essential for sustaining progress as the industry moves from scaling transistors to scaling intelligence.

Bio

Tom serves as a Chemist within the Semiconductor Products Group at Applied Materials, where he has been employed since 2014. His primary responsibilities include the development of high-performance materials for advanced microelectronic devices, as well as research initiatives that expand technology offerings into non-semiconductor markets.

Currently, Tom manages the Center of Excellence in Chemistry within the Wayne State University Department of Chemistry (Detroit, MI, USA), established in 2017. In this capacity, he directs thin film development projects aimed at advancing novel deposition technologies, oversees chemical supplier collaborations involving new chemical precursors, and co-manages multiple academic research partnerships. The central objective of these efforts is to accelerate innovative discoveries that yield differentiated process solutions for Applied Materials. To date, Tom has authored or co-authored more than 55 publications and granted patents.

Lunch will be provided at 12:30 P.M.

Zoom Meeting ID and Passcode will be shared in the RSVP reply.