It might not be fully unexpected but after launching our online ALD database a few months ago, but now we have now also put together an online database on Atomic Layer Etching (ALE). So here it is! Similar to the

#ALDALE2019 – A preview of my “ALD Innovator Award” plenary presentation at the 19th International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition
The 19th International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition, featuring also the 6th International Atomic Layer Etching Workshop, is about to start. It will kick-off today (Sunday July 22) with a tutorial session and the welcome reception. I feel extremely honored

And here it is… the online ALD database
– A website where you can easily search, browse, and add ALD processes
Many of us ALD researchers have been talking – or even dreaming – about it for some years: an online database listing all ALD materials and processes. And now we have it! You can access it through the link at

Overview of all materials prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD)
– An up-to-date and colorful periodic table (to download)
As you might have noticed, we have just started a year in which we celebrate the discovery of the Periodic System by Dmitri Mendeleev: 2019 is the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has therefore been

Where do our students and postdocs go? Mainly to ASML?
– About the alumni of the Plasma & Materials Processing research group
When evaluating what comes out of a university research group, often the research carried out by the group is given most attention. However, obviously, the most important product of a research group is not the research itself but it’s the

In situ Studies of ALD Processes & Reaction Mechanisms
It is the time of the year that the annual AVS International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition combined with the International Atomic Layer Etching Workshop takes place. The location of 18th edition of the ALD conference (ALD 2018) and the

The prospects for the use of Al2O3 in solar cells (in 10 questions)
– How we looked at it in 2011
At the end of last month – in May – the 2018 edition of the “PERC Solar Cell Technology” report appeared as published by Taiyang news. It is the third edition of this interesting report and it starts by stating

Plasma ALD and substrate biasing
– The impact of energetic ions on film properties
“Plasma ions create electronic defects in sensitive substrates as well as generate a large electronic trap density in deposited films, especially detrimental for gate dielectric applications.” This is a sentence that I read about 10 years ago (in January 2007

Surface science aspects of (plasma) ALD reactions
– Extending the legacy of Harold Winters
The fact that Dr. Harold Winters passed away last year – at the age of 83 – has led to initiatives in tribute of Harold and his profound contributions to plasma science. One of these initiatives is a Special Issue

In situ spectroscopic ellipsometry and ALD
– How ellipsometry became a popular technique to monitor ALD film growth
Serendipity is often cited as a key factor in scientific innovations. I can fully confirm this as will also be obvious from the subtitle of this blog site: “Blog about strategy, serendipity and vision in nanoscience”. From my point of