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.

Interesting Times due to Interesting Discoveries

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

In previous blogs, two dimensional semiconductors have been discussed.  Work at Singapore University of Technology and Design has developed a different approach to solving the issues of very [..]

Misc Ramblings

Evolving nano developments

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

With the emphasis on nanotechnologies and the emphasis on two-dimensional materials, other areas that are pushing boundaries are often overlooked.  A recent article [Ref. 1] summarizes work done [..]

Nanotechnology

More on Semiconductors

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

Last month, this blog covered some of the challenges of continually shrinking semiconductor geometries and the related difficulties with traditional transistor designs.  This month’s blog explores transistor geometry.  [..]

Semiconductor Technology

The Shrinking Dimensions

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

As semiconductor manufacturing continues the dimensional shrinking process, novel ideas are required to achieve the ability to continue shrinking the dimensions while increasing the performance.  There are some [..]

Misc Ramblings, Nanotechnology

More on Cement and other Nano

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

Just prior to the end of June, there were two articles on cement/concrete.  “How to Make a ‘Smarter’ Cement” [Ref. 1] covers reports from Northwestern University’s team that [..]

Nanotechnology

Nanomaterials and Cement

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

It has been an interesting month as the country starts coming back to “normal”.  I was fortunate to have the opportunity to “attend” (virtually) a presentation by a [..]

Nanotechnology

2D Materials are Making Progress

Posted on April 30, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

The recent past few months have seen a few published articles on 2D materials and their applications.  The pace is picking up. One of the challenges of 2D [..]

Nanotechnology, Semiconductor Technology

What is the Cost of Ownership?

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

Recently, the term “Cost of Ownership” has been appearing in various papers about a number of topics, including wind power and electric vehicles among others.  The Wall Street [..]

Technology

It’s time to revisit Nano Technology Safety (Nano-Safety)

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

Fifteen years ago (2006) there was a white paper published [Ref. 1] that addressed the need to create a structured approach to the handling and usage of nanomaterials.  [..]

Nanotechnology Safety

Let’s start 2021 out with a question.

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Walt | Permalink 0

In today’s technical reports, there are more references to Artificial Intelligence performing analyses of materials for developing an understanding of the properties of various combinations of materials at [..]

Misc Ramblings