Baldur, the partner responsible for develop an ALD tool for the deposition of complex oxides on large-scale wafers, provided a very insightful interview where they share their thoughts about CONCEPT and the work being developed.
Tell us more about the very beginning of CONCEPT – the proposal, setting up the team, and your very first impressions.
CONCEPT was from the beginning an ambitious project with the aim of enabling new device technologies through materials development. To align the ambitions, it was important to combine a team with experience and partners capable of absorbing the results into a larger ecosystem, putting them into use. As such, Henrik Sønsteby at UiO has made a marvellous effort to combine partners and focus areas with mutual interests so that we all can work for a common goal. For us at Baldur Coatings, it gives an invaluable opportunity to showcase our design targeting difficult, but relevant materials over the required timeframe for such development. We were therefore from the beginning rather excited to see a good mix of partners with similar needs, but on different production scales.
How do you think the CONCEPT project will provide a new ICT paradigm and achieve its goals?
The properties of devices are limited by the materials they are made of, and hence their production tools. Till now it was believed that the required quality could only be achieved by high temperature approaches, not compatible with present production lines for silicon-based electronics. Our aim is to prove otherwise through the CONCEPT and enable large scale production of devices of complex oxides in silicon based environments. Doing so will clearly make a new paradigm in ICT and for us, also in production tool development. Even a partial success in device performance or production scaling will prove success by proving that there is room for further improvements and new designs.
What is the main result that CONCEPT will deliver?
CONCEPT, on an overall level, will deliver proof for integration into silicon-based production a wide range of complex materials showing exotic electronic, magnetic or optical responses. The results will be many, from a wider selection of chemistries used during production to new device structures. From our point of view, the main result will most probably be a revitalisation of old-school chemistries, if I may formulate myself in such vague terms.
Describe the project in one word: Enabling
Describe the project in one word:
Bold!
