ALD history at ALD 2016 Ireland

Prof Greg Parsons introducing Prof Anatoly Malygin to give a plenary talk at ALD 2016. Photo by Riikka Puurunen.

The ALD 2016 conference was a major step forward in advancing the understanding of the worldwide history of Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Progress took place at least in three ways:

1. Prof. Anatoly Malygin (St. Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University)) delivered an invited talk. ALD 2016 was the first time ever that a person representing the branch of ALD of "old Russian works" has presented a talk at the international ALD conferences. Great thanks Prof. Malygin delivering the talk as well as for the conference chairs Dr. Simon Elliott and Dr. Jonas Sundqvist for inviting him.
2. Poster by the Virtual Project on the History of ALD (VPHA) was presented to share the "recommended reading list of early ALD  publications". The poster has been created as a collaboration of seventy (yes, 70!) co-authors, including top ALD names such as Prof. Malygin himself, Prof. Markku Leskelä, Prof. Fred Roozeboom, and both the ALD 2016 conference chairs. You can view online (links embedded) the VPHA poster, abstract, pitch talk slides, and an experimental periscope video recording of the pitch talk, originally live-streamed in Twitter. As can be expected, top early publications which made it to the recommended reading list (created by voting) have been authored among others by Dr. Tuomo Suntola, Prof. Valentin Aleskovsky and Prof. Stanislav Koltsov.
3. Face to face meetings between different people. Myself, I met many VPHA collaborators for the first time, discussing with them (as well as with many other people) aspects on the history and future of ALD. One conference participant told me that the best part of the conference for him had been "shaking hands with Malygin". Nothing beats face to face meetings and getting to know each other in person! 

The VPHA project continues and more people are welcome to join, to help us complete the remaining work related reading of the early ALD works. We are now 67% completed with the reading. If you'd like to join, please let us know by sending an email to info@ vph-ald.com (delete the space).

Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) and Molecular Layering (ML) shaking hands, joining as Atomic Layer Deposition. Idea for this sketch (drawn by Riikka Puurunen with an iPad somewhere above Sweden) obviously comes from the EuroCVD21-BalticALD15 logo. More info on the two origins of ALD in the ALE essay and the ML essay.

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Virtual Project on the History of ALD (VPHA) - in atmosphere of Openness, Respect, and Trust