Sadiq Shahriyar Nishat
Ph.D. in Materials Engineering
Process Engineer III at Applied Materials
About Me
I am a Materials Engineer with expertise in semiconductor technology development and FEOL/BEOL integration for copper-alternative interconnects at sub-10 nm nodes. As an SRC Scholar at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, my research focused on mitigating electron surface scattering in highly crystalline epitaxial thin films. I will be joining Applied Materials as Process Engineer III in July 2026.
Education
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Ph.D. in Materials EngineeringRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
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M.S. in PhysicsUniversity of Dhaka, Bangladesh
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B.S. in PhysicsUniversity of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Latest Updates
Research Focus & Interests
Driving the future of semiconductor scaling through advanced materials research, from atomic-scale thin film deposition to system-level interconnect integration.
Electron Transport in Anisotropic Conductors
Investigating electron surface scattering phenomena in directional and anisotropic conductors (PtCoO₂, PdCoO₂, CoSn, Ru) for sub-10nm interconnects. This research addresses critical resistance scaling challenges in advanced node logic devices and 3D packaging.
Read moreThin Film Deposition & Epitaxial Growth
Expertise in UHV PVD, DC/RF magnetron sputtering, and ALD for epitaxial growth of Ru, AlN, Mo₂N, and topological NbAs thin films with atomic precision.
Read moreAdvanced Materials Characterization
Comprehensive characterization using XRD, XRR, XPS, SEM, AFM, and electrical measurements (I-V/C-V) to establish structure-property relationships.
Read moreComputational Materials Science
First-principles calculations using VASP, Quantum ESPRESSO, and Wannier90 to predict electronic structure, phonon properties, and transport phenomena.
Read moreTopological Materials for Interconnects
Exploring topological semimetals like NbAs and Weyl materials for next-generation nano-scale interconnects, leveraging unique surface states for enhanced conductivity.
Read moreHPC Server Management & Automation
Administration of computational clusters for materials research, including DFT workflow automation, queue management, and mentoring researchers in high-performance computing.
Read moreExperience
Research and industry experience spanning semiconductor process engineering, materials characterization, and computational modeling.
Process Engineer III
Applied Materials, Santa Clara, CA
Joining the Etch Business Unit to develop and optimize plasma etch processes for advanced semiconductor manufacturing at 300mm wafer scale.
Process Engineering Intern
Applied Materials, Santa Clara, CA
- Optimized plasma etch process for TiN/TiSi, improving etch selectivity by 80% through XPS-guided DOE
- Resolved customer (TSMC) RF plasma instability in tungsten gradient oxidation via root-cause analysis
- Contributed to 300mm process module optimization and cross-site SPC integration
- Trained engineers on advanced XPS data analysis workflows using CasaXPS
Graduate Research Assistant
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Troy, NY
- Led SRC-funded research on electron surface scattering in Ru(0001) and directional conductors
- Developed 7nm epitaxial Ru, AlN, Mo₂N, and topological NbAs thin films using UHV PVD
- Established experimental protocols for measuring electron specularity with sub-1% precision
- Pioneered transport measurement methodology for CoSn using SEM-FIB, EBL, and GIS techniques
Chief Manager (DFT Trainer & Server Admin)
SUNY-Buffalo State, Buffalo, NY
- Mentored 15+ undergraduate students in Density Functional Theory methods
- Managed computational cluster supporting 20+ researchers with 99% uptime
Technical Expertise
Comprehensive skill set spanning materials synthesis, characterization, computational modeling, and process engineering.
Thin Film Deposition
Characterization
Computational
Programming
Process Control
Systems & HPC
Selected Publications
Peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals with 1,263+ citations.
Awards & Honors
Recognition for research excellence, academic achievement, and technical contributions.
Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Scholar
Full fellowship for Ph.D. studies in Materials Engineering
2023 – 2026Best Poster Presentation Award (1st Place)
Albany Nanotechnology Symposium
November 2024Best Poster Presentation Award
ASM International Eastern NY Student Poster Contest
February 2024SRC TECHCON Presenter
Selected for talk and poster presentation, Austin, TX
September 2025UPWARDS Graduate Student Workshop
Boise State University
April 2025Get In Touch
Open to research collaborations, industry partnerships, and academic discussions.
Let's Connect
I'm always interested in discussing new research opportunities, semiconductor industry trends, and potential collaborations in materials science and engineering.