PERSBERICHT

Eerste Peter Mark Award buiten de USA
Amerikaanse onderscheiding voor TU/e-onderzoeker dr.ir. Erwin Kessels

Natuurkundig ingenieur Erwin Kessels, onderzoeker bij de Technische Universiteit Eindhoven (TU/e), is onderscheiden met de Peter Mark Award, een prestigieuze Amerikaanse prijs van de AVS Science & Technology Society. Vanaf 1980 wordt de Peter Mark Award jaarlijks toegekend aan een jonge wetenschapper (onder 35 jaar) voor uitstekend theoretisch of toegepast onderzoek.  Dr.ir. Kessels is de eerste onderzoeker van buiten de Verenigde Staten die deze onderscheiding krijgt.

De Award bestaat uit een geldbedrag van 6.500 US dollars, een oorkonde en een uitnodiging om als gastspreker een voordracht te verzorgen op het internationale AVS-symposium, dat van 15 t/m 19 oktober wordt gehouden in Seattle.

De 34-jarige Erwin Kessels uit Tilburg studeerde in 1996 als natuurkundig ingenieur af aan de TU/e. Hij promoveerde in 2000 aan dezelfde universiteit tot doctor in de technische wetenschappen op een onderzoek naar flexibele zonnecellen. Dr.ir. Kessels is werkzaam bij de faculteit Technische Natuurkunde op het vakgebied van plasma’s voor de nanotechnologie. Zo doet hij onderzoek naar het opdampen van ultradunne lagen op dragermateriaal. Het betreft hier laagjes van enkele atoomlagen dik op met name halfgeleiders. Toepassingen hiervan zijn zonnecellen en halfgeleiderchips. Hij publiceert over zijn onderzoek in de internationale vakpers – (mede)auteur van meer dan 80 wetenschappelijke artikelen – en heeft samen met collega-onderzoekers diverse octrooien op zijn naam.

Achtergrondinformatie over de Peter Mark Memorial Award
The Peter Mark Memorial Award was established in 1979 in memory of Dr. Peter Mark who served as Editor of the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology from 1975 to 1979. The award is presented to a young scientist or engineer (35 years of age or under) for outstanding theoretical or experimental work, at least some of which must have been published in JVST. The award consists of a cash award, a certificate, and an honorary lectureship at a regular session of the International Symposium.
 
Dr.ir. W.M.M. Kessels, Eindhoven University of Technology, “for pioneering work in the application and development of in situ plasma and surface diagnostics to achieve a molecular understanding of thin film growth.”
W.M.M. Kessels (Erwin) currently holds a tenured Assistant Professorship in the Department of Applied Physics at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. His work explores the synthesis of thin films, nanostructures, and devices using methods such as plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, and plasma etching. His research focuses particularly on the development of processes for thin-film manufacturing in collaboration with several industrial partners and it incorporates numerous applications such as microelectronics, photovoltaics, energy storage, photonics, and flexible electronics. In addition, a large part of the research is devoted to investigations of the plasma-surface interactions and thin film growth mechanisms. His research group develops and implements advanced surface- sensitive diagnostics - mostly based on linear and nonlinear optics - that can be applied in real time during film growth. The central theme within the work is to improve the understanding of the underlying reaction mechanisms in order to better control the chemical and physical processes such that the desired properties of thin films, processes, and devices can be designed to order.
In recent years, Erwin’s research interest in atomic layer deposition (ALD) has expanded. He focuses on plasma-assisted ALD processes to fully exploit the opportunities delivered by the process and to address its current challenges. He is active in both ALD tool and related hardware development and in the utilization of the technique in less traditional, non-semiconductor applications to establish the benefits of the plasma-based process for these types of applications.
Erwin received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (cum laude) in Applied Physics from the Eindhoven University of Technology in 1996 and 2000, respectively. His doctoral work, which was partly carried out at the University of California Santa Barbara, investigated the plasma deposition process of amorphous silicon. During his postdoctoral research Erwin investigated plasma-surface interactions at the Colorado State University and nonlinear surface spectroscopy at the Philipps University, Marburg (Germany). In 1999 he was the recipient of the Coburn and Winters Student Award of the AVS Plasma Science and Technology Division. In 2002, he was awarded a fellowship by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2005, he spent a sabbatical leave at the University of California Berkeley.
Erwin has authored and co-authored over 80 papers in peer-reviewed journals and is co-inventor of several patents. He is an active member of the AVS, ECS, and MRS and serves on several international conference committees. Within AVS, he has served on the Executive Committee of the Plasma Science and Technology Division (2004-2007) and he will be chairing the 8th International Conference on Atomic Layer Deposition in 2008 as sponsored by the Thin Film Division.

'terug'