Prof. Roger T. Howe
Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University
BSAC PhD 1984
November 10, 2015 | 12:00 to 01:00 | 540 Cory Hall
Host: Richard Muller
Thermionic energy converters (TECs) were conceived in 1915, demonstrated in 1939, and were the focus of huge investments during the Cold War by the U.S. and the Soviet Union. A 6 kW thermionic converter, fabricated using precision machining technology, was flown in 1987 by the Soviet Union. TEC research ramped down in the 1990s and the field withered to a few embers by 2005. Recently, new materials, processes, and device architectures are being explored at Stanford, the Max Planck Institute, and other research groups around the world. I will provide an update on recent progress at Stanford on achieving higher efficiency, wafer-scale thermionic converters – particularly, in achieving anodes with work functions less than 1 eV. The second part of my talk will discuss the rapid evolution of academic shared micro- nano fabrication facilities, as we transition from the era where semiconductor electronics and photonics were the primary technological and economic drivers. We are incubating an Experimental Fab, or “ExFab,” within the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility that will prototype new tools, processes, and operating models to better support the changing needs of our user community. Our experience in running ExFab will also help in the design of a future fabrication facility at Stanford.
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