Research

1. The shorter version

In the project In-SANE I collaborate with another PhD student to come up with methods to join similar and dissimilar metals using cold welding on a micro level (Al/Al and Al/Cu). Our motivation is to develop a simple method to replace parts of Cu wires with Al, to reduce the total weight of electrical components among others. My job is to participate in the above, in addition to characterise the joint microstructure using TEM (an advanced electron microscope) in order to evaluate the joint quality and properties.

2. The slightly longer version

I'm currently a PhD student in the project 'In-situ studies of highly conductive bonded interfaces between aluminium and copper at the nanoscale' (In-SANE), which is a multidisciplinary collaboration between IFY and MTP at NTNU. We aim to develop techniques, tools and procedures for microjoining of Al/Cu components in FIB, using welding methods similar to 'hybrid metal extrusion & bonding' (HYB). The objective is to downscale the welding process to scales relevant to electronic packaging at the nano-scale. My role is to participate in the above, in addition to perform detailed characterisation of the chemical composition and the atomic struture along the interface of the joint primarily using advanced 'transmission electron miscroscopy' (TEM) techniques.

Background

My background is in natural science with teacher education, and I completed my degree in materials physics at NTNU Trondheim at the TEM Gemini Centre. I was then characterising intermediate band solar cell (IBSC) materials using TEM. My main supervisor was then (and is now) Professor Randi Holmestad.