SMI recruits scientists to expand MOCVD, ALD and HVPE product development

Structured Materials Industries Inc (SMI) of Piscataway, NJ, USA – which provides chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems, components, materials, and process development services – has recruited two scientists to join its R&D team. Dr Serdal Okur and Dr Arul C. Arjunan will work to develop advanced semiconductor materials and associated equipment by implementing technologies in metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), and related technologies.

“The addition of Dr Okur and Dr Arjunan comes at an important time for our R&D team as we look to pioneer new technology and products into the marketplace,” says president Dr Gary S. Tompa. “These two individuals come from extraordinary backgrounds that, when combined, should make a synergistic impact on the organization,” he adds.

Okur has a PhD in electrical and computer engineering from Virginia Commonwealth University with a background in physics and material science. Prior to working for SMI, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Center for High Technology Materials, University of New Mexico, where he investigated novel light-emitting devices, such as LEDs and vertical-cavity lasers, and optical processes in these types of devices. He has expertise in compound, nitride and oxide semiconductor materials and devices, as well as in nanowire growth and processing. His recent work includes gallium oxide-based electronic and optoelectronic devices, supported by NASA and the US Department of Energy (DOE). He is the author/co-author of 46 scientific articles.

Arjunan has a PhD in physics from Anna University in Chennai, India. He brings over 16 years of industrial and academic experience in areas involving crystal growth (thin and thick film), instrumentation, and processing related to wide-bandgap semiconductor materials (silicon carbide, III- nitrides, diamond, oxide and organic molecular materials) as well as narrow-bandgap materials (SiGeSn). Arjunan has served as a principal investigator of many projects related to wide-bandgap semiconductor material processing for electronics and nuclear physics applications, with total funding worth over $6.5m. Before joining SMI, he spent 11 years at semiconductor company Sinmat Inc, where he most recently oversaw technology developments and marketing responsibilities related to wide-bandgap materials, serving as the director of technology & marketing. Arjunan began his career as a postdoctoral scientist at the University of South Carolina and University of Florida, specializing in silicon carbide, III-N material growth, wafering and polishing. He has 46 research publications in international journals, 10 patent applications, an R&D 100 Award (2008), and has presented in over 60 national/international conferences.