Chemical, mechanical, and electrical properties of individual molecules differ significantly from the behavior of bulk materials. Dr. Hersam’s research group develops nanofabrication techniques that enable spontaneous self-assembly of single molecules into pre-defined atomic resolution patterns on technologically significant silicon surfaces. The properties of these surface-mounted molecules are directly measured and then interfaced to the macroscopic world via conventional microfabrication. Dr. Hersam will discuss their accomplishments in single molecule electronic and mechanical devices and assess future prospects for chemical and biological sensors. His research group’s nanoscale approaches have also been applied to problems currently facing conventional microelectronic circuits. In particular, Prof. Hersam will describe experimental results that have addressed contemporary issues ranging from electromigration to hot electron degradation.

Mark C. Hersam is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University. His research interests include single molecule devices and sensors, nanostructured materials, intra-molecular scanned probe microscopy and spectroscopy, semiconductor surfaces, and electron device reliability. In 2001, Dr. Hersam was named an Arnold and Mabel Beckman Young Investigator, a Junior Fellow of the Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, and a Co-Finalist for the Discover Magazine Innovation Award in Electronics. Dr. Hersam completed his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2000. He received the Master of Philosophy degree in Microelectronic Engineering and Semiconductor Physics from the University of Cambridge (UK) in 1997 and a BSEE from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1996. Dr. Hersam has also participated in two internship programs at Argonne National Laboratory and IBM T. J. Watson Research Center where he performed research on surface acoustic wave sensors and electrical properties of carbon nanotubes respectively. Dr. Hersam is a member of the American Physical Society, the American Vacuum Society, the Materials Research Society, the American Society of Engineering Education, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers.

Place:
Motorola
1301 Algonquin Road
Schaumburg, Illinois