Vita

Dr. Zhi Chen

Office address: 

Title:

Education: 

M.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology (China). May 1987

B.S.  in Electrical Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology (China). July 1984
 

Research interests: 

Professional Experience: 

Associate Director of Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (2001-present)

Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (2004-present)

Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (1999-2004) 

Conduct research on novel nanoscale devices and materials, CMOS transistor reliability, CMOS device physics and modeling, and integrated sensors. Teach undergraduate and graduate courses. 

Graduate Research Assistant, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. (1994-1999): 

Investigated physical and electrical properties of the SiO₂/Si interface with incorporation of deuterium to replace hydrogen and hot-carrier-induced degradation of Si MOS devices for VLSI applications; Carried out hot-carrier degradation experiments and charge-pumping tests at room temperature and low temperatures; Studied device physics and modeling. 

Fabricated and characterized GaAs metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs); Deposited gate dielectric materials such as Si₃N₄ and SiO₂ by remote ECR plasma-enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) and investigated band structures of GaAs heterostructures. 

Research Associate/Lecturer, University of Electronic Science and Technology (China) (1987 -1992): 

Investigated thin film sensing materials and sensors, including fabrication and characterization of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS); and taught undergraduate courses.
 

Industrial Experience: 

Awards: 

Who's Who in America, 56th edition, 2001 

Who's Who in America, 57th edition, 2002

National Award for Invention, Ministry of Science and Technology, P. R. China, 1995 

The Second Prize Paper Award, Industrial Automation and Control Committee, the 27th Annual Conference, IEEE Industry Application Society, USA, 1992

1998-1999 Beckman Graduate Fellowship, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
 

Professional Achievements: 

Discovered new mechanism for hot-carrier-induced degradation of CMOS transistors and contributed to application of deuterium annealing to the CMOS integrated circuit manufacturing. 
 

Professional Services: 

Editorial positions:

Member, Editorial Board of Sensor Letters, American Scientific Publishers, Stevenson Ranch, CA

Technical Reviewer:

Proposal Review:
Panelist, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia.
US Civilian Research and Development Foundation, Arlington, Virginia
US Department of Energy SBIR program

Paper Review:
Journal of Applied Physics
Applied Physics Letters
IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices 
IEEE Sensor Journal
Journal of  Electrochemical Society

Conference Session Organization:
Session Chair, The ECS International Semiconductor Technology Conference, Shanghai, China, the Electrochemical Society, May 27-30, 2001
Short course: "MOSFET Technology," at Lexmark International, Inc., Lexington, KY, Summer 2001
 

University Service:

Associate Director, Center for Micro-Magnetic and Electronic Devices, July 2001- present

Review for Undergraduate Scholarship in Electrical Engineering, University of Kentucky, 2000 and 2001

Education  Outreach

Seminars for high school students, "Computer Chips: A World of Microelectronics," in Rogers Scholars Program, Center for Rural Development, Somerset, KY, July 2000-2001. 

Education outreach for 3rd-5th grade students in Deep Spring Elementary School and J. R. Ewan Elementary School at Lexington, KY, April 2001.

Lab sessions for high school students, Assembling Humidity Controllers, in Rogers Scholars Program, Center for Rural Development, Somerset, KY, July 2001-2004.
 
 
 
 

INVITED PRESENTATION at INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

1. "Fundamental Mechanisms for Reduction of Leakage Current of Silicon Oxide and Oxynitride through RTP-Induced Phonon-Energy Coupling," 14th Annual IEEE International Conference on Advanced Thermal Processing of Semiconductors - RTP2006, Kyoto, Japan, October 10-13, 2006.

1. “Enhancement of Phonon-Energy Coupling: Dramatic Reduction of Gate Leakage Current of MOS Devices,” Shanghai Jaotung University, Shanghai, China, June 13, 2007.
   
2. “Enhancement of Phonon-Energy Coupling: Dramatic Reduction of Gate Leakage Current of MOS Devices,” Texas Instrument and University of Texas at Dallas, May 21, 2006.
3. “Enhancement of Phonon-Energy Coupling: Dramatic Reduction of Gate Leakage Current of MOS Devices,” Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, May 2006.
4. “Enhancement of Phonon-Energy Coupling: Dramatic Reduction of Gate Leakage Current of MOS Devices,” Purdue University, April 2006.
5. “Electronic Device Research: From Submicron to Nano-Scale,” Army Research Laboratory, Adelphi, Maryland, August, 2002.
6. “The Surface and Interface of Semiconductors and Carbon Nanotube Based Nanotechnology,” University of Electronic Science & Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, May, 2002.
7. “Porous nanostructures and carbon nanotubes for chemical and biomedical applications,” University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, August, 2001.
8. “GaAs-based metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures and deuterium-processed Si MOS transistors”, Lucent Technology Bell Labs, Breinigsville, PA, Nov. 2000.
9. “Physical and electrical properties of  MOS transistors processed in deuterium and hydrogen,” University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, Feb. 1999. 
10. “Electrical properties of Si MOS devices processed in deuterium and hydrogen,” IBM Semiconductor Research and Development Center, Essex Junction, VT, May, 1999.
11. “Deuterium processing for MOS transistors: Reliability improvement and degradation mechanism,” University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, Oct. 1999.

List of Publications: (See the Pubilcation Bar)