John G. Ekerdt
Professor
Chemical Engineering
Dick Rothwell Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering
Phone:(512) 471-4689
Fax: (512) 471-7060
Email: ekerdt@che.utexas.edu
John G. Ekerdt earned his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1979. He joined the faculty at The University of Texas at Austin that same year.
Dr. Ekerdt researches electronic materials chemistry, and surface and interface reaction kinetics. His work improves the quality of silicon alloy films and nanostructures used for microelectronics. He has developed screening procedures and rules for precursor materials that allow engineers to deposit semiconducting materials in reproducible ways. Ekerdt researches how molecules absorb and interact at surfaces, and how ultrathin continuous films and nanoparticles of semiconductors form, bind together and evolve during fabrication. He seeks to understand how to grow nanoparticles of a particular diameter and density, and how to precisely position them on surfaces. Ekerdt researches how to create the thinnest possible conductive copper diffusion barriers that still retain their properties and functions. He also studies step and flash imprint lithography, a technique to imprint the wiring patterns on semiconductor chips.
Research interests:
- Electronic materials chemistry
- Thin film growth kinetics and chemistry
- Barrier materials
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