A look back on the 8th Thermal Probe Workshop
We were delighted to host a community of nanotechnology experts, fabrication researchers, rising stars and innovative leaders from all over the world in Zurich for the 8th Thermal Probe Workshop on the 13th and 14th of March, 2024. The event featured invited talks, posters, discussions and networking opportunities for the approximately 80 participants.
After opening remarks from Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG management Emine Cagin and Matthias Bürke, the first day featured insightful sessions highlighting progress in lithography, device and process integration.
Session I: Advances in Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography
- Prof. Dr. Xia Liu from the Institute of Physics CAS, Beijing, started the session with insights into “Multiple-Scale and Gray-Scale Patterning Using Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography.”
- Dr. Fabian Könemann from Heidelberg Instruments Nano AG discussed “Introducing Parallel Thermal Scanning Probe Lithography”.
- Valerio Levati from Politecnico di Milano shared his research on “Thermally Driven Phase Nanoengineering for Spintronics”.
Session II: 2D Materials
- Berke Erbas from EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne) highlighted “Grayscale Topography Engineering for 2D Nanoelectronics”.
- Dr. Yu Kyoung Ryu from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid presented on “Laser-Induced Graphene Advanced Energy Storage Devices”.
- Dr. Gabriela Borin Barin from Empa talked about “Bottom-Up Graphene Nanoribbons: Towards High-Performance Devices”.
Session III: Nanodevices
- Dr. Chit Siong Aaron Lau from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Singapore, explored “Utilizing Thermal Scanning Probe for Engineering 2D Material-Based Quantum Applications”.
- Dr. Chloé Bureau-Oxton from IBM Research – Zurich introduced “A Side-Gated finFET as a Scanning Electrometer”.
- Prof. Dr. Saptarshi Das from Penn State University discussed “3D Integration of 2D Devices for Advanced Memory, Logic, and Bio-Inspired Computing”.
Session IV: Bionano Sciences and Biomimicry
- Dr. Alexander Wright from New York University presented “Thermochemical Activation of a Polymer for Protein Immobilisation”.
- Prof. Dr. Thomas Iskratsch from Queen Mary University of London explored “Nanofabrication of Bioarrays for Single Molecule Resolution Tracking of Receptor-Ligand Interactions and Cell Adhesion Formation”.
- Dr. Stefan Walheim from Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) shared insights on “Substrate-Controlled Self-Assembly as a Bio-Inspired Approach Towards Nano-Functional Surfaces”.
The day was not just about the sessions; the lunch, poster sessions and the social event in the evening provided a great opportunity for attendees to network, discuss, and share their thoughts on the advancements in the field of thermal probes.
As the Thermal Probe Workshop in Zurich moved into its second day, the momentum continued with engaging presentations and discussions across cutting-edge topics in nanotechnology.
Here’s a recap of day 2:
Session V: Photonics and Nano-Optics
- Prof. Dr. Rachel Grange (ETH Zürich) opened with “Lithium Niobate on Insulator and Beyond,” discussing overcoming fabrication challenges for integrated and flat photonics.
- Prof. Dr. Olivier J.F. Martin (EPFL (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne)) explored “The Promise of the Third Dimension in Nanophotonics”.
- Yannik Glauser (ETH Zürich) presented “Optical Fourier Surfaces for Holography”.
Session VI: Advances in Materials
- Harry Biller (Allresist GmbH) delved into “From Powder to Liquid Resist: Insights into the Stability of Polyaldehydes in Solution”.
- Prof. Dr. Javier Rodriguez-Viejo (Institut Català de Nanociència i Nanotecnologia (ICN2)) examined “Bulk Versus Surface Melting in Thin Film Organic Semiconductor Glasses”.
- Dr. Heiko Wolf (IBM Research – Zurich) questioned “Will it Compute? – Networks of Micro-Scale Chemical Oscillators”.
Session VII: Innovation at the Nanoscale
- Dr. Meguya Ryu (NMIJ AIST / Tokyo Institute of Technology) shared advances in “Detection of Local Thermal Diffusivity of Soft Materials”.
- Dr. Gabriel Puebla-Hellmann (QZabre LLC) presented “Nitrogen Vacancy Based Quantum Sensors for Nano-Scale Thermometry”.
- Dr. Filippo Federici (Nanolayers Research Computing Ltd.) introduced “ALANN: Atomic Lithography Automation with Neural Networks”.
Spotlight on Rising Stars
A special shoutout goes to invited early-career researchers, Yannik Glauser, Valerio Levati, Berke Erbas, Dr. Chloé Bureau-Oxton, Dr. Alexander Wright and Dr. Meguya Ryu. They are already making significant contributions in nanofabrication, quantum devices, nanometrology and biosensing. We are excited to see their continued success in their respective fields.
The best poster award, chosen for the rigor of the research and clarity of presentation, went to Karla Vanessa Cordero Solano of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. Her poster showed her excellent work on “Unterstanding contact resistance in nanoscale organic thin-film transistors”.
As the 8th Thermal Probe Workshop concludes, we are reflecting on the meaningful discussions, innovative research, and new connections formed. It’s been our privilege to welcome our community, and we look forward to keeping in touch through our Heidelberg Instruments Nano LinkedIn page.
Until next time, we look forward to the continued growth and achievements of this community.
Save the date!
The 9th Thermal Probe Workshop will be held from April 2 – 3, 2025.
All information will be published on tpw-zurich.com/
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