Wayne State collaboration supports faculty research, creates career pathways with semiconductor industry leader

A collaboration between Wayne State University and Applied Materials, Inc., a global leader in semiconductor and advanced display manufacturing equipment, has put chemistry students on the cutting edge of a booming industry, creating a college-to-career pipeline for Warriors who drive technological advancements that touch nearly every aspect of our lives.

In 2018, Wayne State announced a research collaboration with Applied Materials to develop new thin film deposition processes needed for the fabrication of advanced semiconductors. The collaboration centers on the work of Chemistry Professor Dr. Charles Winter, a world-renowned expert in atomic layer deposition whose laboratory pioneered processes that improve the speed and power efficiency of next-generation computer chips. These breakthroughs have advanced the development of artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicle technologies and much more.

"Dr. Winter has been at the forefront of his field for decades. His work has advanced our understanding of process chemistry and its role in technological innovation," said Wayne State Vice President for Research and Innovation Dr. Ezemenari M. Obasi. "His research and this collaboration showcase the strength of our world-class Chemistry department and the global reach of our faculty expertise."

The engagement also established a dedicated Applied Materials lab on Wayne State's campus, where the company houses state-of-the-art deposition tools and instrumentation for thin film analysis.

"The challenge in atomic layer deposition research is to identify the most urgent problems and then choose problems we can solve in my laboratory that will have a large impact," Winter said. "By working with Applied Materials, we've been given excellent problems to work on that take advantage of our skill set at Wayne State."

The collaboration has yielded technological breakthroughs and created a crucial talent pipeline from Detroit to Silicon Valley. Seven Wayne State alumni have started careers at Applied Materials since 2018, and two Wayne State graduates lead the company's Process Chemistry group, which oversees the work with WSU.

"When we started this, we saw Wayne State as a partner that could give us a big advantage," said Managing Director of Process Chemistry at Applied Materials Dr. Mark Saly (Ph.D. '10). "The Winter Lab's expertise in precursor chemistry and development has been essential, but equally important is access to top talent within the student body. Working directly with students, we get to see how they think, how they learn, and help them build the skills they need to thrive in our industry. That's allowed us to make the right hires and recruit people who are going to be a foundational part of our company."

The collaboration also enhances training and internship opportunities. Students tackle complex problem statements alongside the Applied Materials team on campus and have opportunities to travel to company headquarters in Santa Clara, California.

"Talent is really the root of this collaboration," said Applied Materials' Senior Manager of Process Chemistry Dr. Thomas Knisley (Ph.D. '12), who is based on campus in the A. Paul Schaap Chemistry Building. "From the synthetic chemistry research with Dr. Winter to the deposition trials, materials development and concept validation with Applied, students are exposed to the entire path to production. You won't get that anywhere else. When we hire someone who already has that experience, they hit the ground running, and that's extremely valuable in our industry."

Dr. Sergely Steephen Bokouende (Ph.D. '24) was hired as a process engineer at Applied Materials shortly after graduating from Wayne State. This career milestone marked the culmination of a journey that's taken him from his home in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Detroit - and now to Santa Clara.

"Without Wayne State, there's no connection to Applied Materials or the career I have now," he said. "My role is to use the skills that I built through my Wayne State degree to help fine tune our processes and then bring hardware and chemistry together to make sure that our products meet the specifications of our customers."

Drs. Winter, Saly and Knisley all note a significant need in the microelectronics industry for Ph.D. chemists with the knowledge and skills students develop in the Winter Lab. With demonstrated success, there's excitement about the future of the collaboration to reach more students, create more opportunities to engage with an industry leader and accelerate more careers.

"Our work with Applied Materials demonstrates the mutual advantages of partnerships among industry and Wayne State University," said Dr. Laurie M. Lauzon Clabo, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. "Industry leaders benefit from the talent of our students and faculty. Collaborative research leads to innovations that reshape our world. And students connect to careers that change their lives. I'm thrilled to see the success of this engagement and excited about all we can achieve as we continue to work together."