Student Highlight: DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research Representative

Dan Le, a material science and engineering graduate student, was recently selected as a representative to join the United States Department of Energy(DOE) Office of Science Graduate Student Research program.  

The DOE Office of Science has selected 65 graduate students representing 29 states for the Office of Science Graduate Student Research program’s 2021 Solicitation 1 cycle. Awardees were selected from a diverse pool of graduate students, with selection being based on merit peer review by eternal scientific experts. “The DOE Office of Science provides the scientific foundation for solutions to some of our nation’s most complex challenges,” said Dr Harriet Kung, the Deputy Director for Science Programs Office of Science. Now more than ever we need to invest in a diverse, talented pipeline of scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs who can help us build a brighter future.”  

Le’s research focuses on microelectronics. Her project for the SCGSR Priority Research Area involves investigating the feasibility of inorganic-organic hybrid materials as ‘dry’ photoresists for EUV lithography by leveraging molecular layer deposition (MLD). The unique deposition technique allows metals with high EUV absorption coefficients to be introduced into the matrix of organic materials, improving EUV absorption and etch resistance. During the DOE’s SCGSR program, she will be hosted by Brookhaven National Laboratory. Through world-class training and access to state-of-the-art facilities and resources at national laboratories, the SCGSR will assist Dan’s research and provide her with supplemental funds to conduct part of their thesis research at a host DOE laboratory in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist.

Under the supervision of Dr. Chang-Yong Nam, a Scientist at CFN, various detailed investigations of materials characterizations will be performed using state of the art facilities such as laboratory-based low-energy electron microscopy (LEEM) system at the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) of Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). In addition to the awarded project, Dr. Jiyoung Kim and Nam have also collaborated to investigate the correlation between materials structures and ferroelectric characteristics at low temperature by utilizing the beamline at BNL that can provide the instrumentation for Grazing Incidence Wide Angle X-ray Scattering (GIWAXS).