Author Archives: Walt

About Walt

I have been involved in various aspects of nanotechnology since the late 1970s. My interest in promoting nano-safety began in 2006 and produced a white paper in 2007 explaining the four pillars of nano-safety. I am a technology futurist and is currently focused on nanoelectronics, single digit nanomaterials, and 3D printing at the nanoscale. My experience includes three startups, two of which I founded, 13 years at SEMATECH, where I was a Senior Fellow of the technical staff when I left, and 12 years at General Electric with nine of them on corporate staff. I have a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, an MBA from James Madison University, and a B.S. in Physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

More AI Concerns

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Walt | Permalink 0

Last year, the November blog mentioned some of the challenges with Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI).  The tools that are becoming available still need to learn from some existing [..]

Technology

Two-Dimensional Meta-Materials

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Walt | Permalink 0

The term meta-materials refers to materials that are created by producing material structures that do not occur in nature and also can be created with structural complexity that [..]

Nanotechnology, Semiconductor Technology

Scientific/Medical Integrity and the Future

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Walt | Permalink 0

Over the years, we have witnessed the issues or multiple peer-reviewed papers being recalled.  A recent example as reported in numerous places, Reference 1 states: “The Dana-Farber Cancer [..]

Science

Year end Wrap-up

Posted on December 31, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

The most popular technical/computer topic at the end of 2023 was Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), which was briefly touched on in last month’s blog.  As 2023 draws to [..]

Semiconductor Technology, Technology

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Science

Posted on November 30, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

Artificial Inelegance (AI) seems to be in the news with promises of a tremendous amount of benefits for the average person.  Specifically, “Generative AI” will be the foundation [..]

Science

Analog & Digital – Part II

Posted on October 31, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

Today’s electronics are based on the transistor, which can be switched either on (a one) or off (a zero).  Among other things, the sounds coming from musical instruments [..]

Technology

Analog & Digital – Part I

Posted on September 30, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

There is no question that we live in a digital world.  What does that mean?  Is there another world?  What is the difference?  We live in a world [..]

Technology

Power Challenges for Greater Computing

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

As mentioned in previous blogs [Ref. 1] the power consumption to manufacture semiconductors has raised concern.  The International Roadmap for Devices and Systems (IRDS) [Ref. 2] has been [..]

Semiconductor Technology

More Optical Metamaterials

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

Previous blogs have covered metamaterials for optics including an invisibility cloak.  Reference 1 moves into the shorter wavelengths of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light.  It is interesting in that [..]

Metamaterials, Semiconductor Technology

The Issue with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Walt | Permalink 0

The issue of AI has been in the headlines of major newspapers with all kinds of doom projections.  Reference 1 from earlier this year has 11 areas that [..]

Science, Technology