Ali Besharatian: Research, Expertise, Publications, Awards and Activities

Technical Expertise and Competence

For more than 7 years, I have been involved with advancing multidisciplinary research and development of complex MEMS and microsystems:
   - Worked on technologies targetting a wide-range of applications from healthcare to consumer electronics and homeland security.
   - Hands-on expertise in engineering (design, modeling, prototyping, fabrication, packaging, charcterization, test) of complex microelectronics.
   - Mastered in-depth knowledge and hands-on expertise of several MEMS and CMOS fabrication technologies (listed below).
   - Developed several microelectronic devices and fab technologies with challenging criteria, high yield, repeatability and throughput.
   - Highly experienced in device instrumentation and software-controlled interfacing between electric, fluidic, chemical and vibrating systems.

Microfabrication Specialty Fields:
      thin-film deposition (PVD/CVD),
      thermal oxidation and doping,
      photolithography (stepper and contact aligner),
      etching (wet, vapour, ion milling, and plasma),
      dissolved wafer process (DWP),
      deep reactive ion etching (DRIE),
      wafer polishing and thinning (CMP and lapping),
      wafer bonding (fusion, andoic, thermal comrepssion, eutectic, solder, and adhesive),
      electroplating, polymer processing, and molding.
Simulation and Modeling Tools:
      Expert in ANSYS (modeling) and MATLAB (modeling and instrumentation);
      Extensively used SPICE, Cadence, IC-Station and L-Edit;
      Proficient in C, PHP and VBA programming;
      Familiar with LabVIEW, COMSOL, and CoventorWare.
Testing and Characterization Tools:
      Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Focused Ion Beam (FIB) analysis;
      Automated full-wafer (step-and-repeat) wafer probers;
      Interferometry, Surface Profilometry, Ellipsometry;
      Wide-range of electronic measurement instruments;
      Laser Doppler Vibrometers (LDV) and Stroboscopic Motion Analysis;

Was awarded the '2011 LNF Director's Leadership Award' for Outstanding Dedication and Service within the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility (LNF), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2011.

Associations and Outreach Activities

- Treasurer, ECE Graduate Student Council (ECE-GSC), University of Michigan, Sep. 2011 - Jan. 2013
- Board Member, Lurie Nanofabrication Facility Users Committee (LNFC), Sep. 2009 - Dec. 2011
- Vice President, Nanotechnology and Integrated Microsystems Student Association (NIMSA), UofM, Sep. 2010 - May 2011
- Chair of the Publicity Committee, 2010 Engineering Graduate Symposium (EGS'10), University of Michigan, Nov. 2010
- Session Chair for Solid State Electronics, 2010 Engineering Graduate Symposium (EGS'10), University of Michigan, Nov. 2010
- Public Relations Chair, Student Leadership Council (SLC), WIMS ERC, Jan. 2009 - Sep. 2010
- Mentor, Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE), College of Engineering, University of Michigan, Summer 2010
- Mentor, NanoCamp, Nanional Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN), Apr. 2008 - Jun. 2010
- Session Chair for MEMS and IC, 2009 Engineering Graduate Symposium (EGS'09), University of Michigan, Nov. 2009
- Mentor, Detroit Area Pre-College Educational Program (DAPCEP), University of Michigan, Sep. 2008 - Apr. 2009
- Scientific Advisory Board, 'Data Communication and Control in Oil Industry' Symposium, S.U.T., Tehran, IRAN, Sep. 2005

Awards

- Best Paper Award, 2012 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), Houston, TX, November 2012.
- Second Place, MEMS Session, 2012 Engineering Graduate Symposium, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, November 2012.
- Best Poster Presentation, 2012 WIMS Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, October 2012.
- 2011 LNF Director's Leadership Award, for Outstanding Dedication and Service within the LNF, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 2011.

In Press

- Live Science: "Ranked #1 of the Coolest DARPA Projects," October 16, 2013.

- UMich EECS Research Spotlight: "Better miniaturized vacuum pumps for electronics and sensors" October 17, 2013.

- GIZMAG: "DARPA Program Develops World's Smallest Vacuum Pumps with Big Potential," June 23, 2013.
*** also featured on several other websites ***

- I.CONNECT-007: "DARPA Builds Microscale Pumps to Evacuate Vacuum Chambers," June 13, 2013.

- InformationWeek: "DARPA Develops Tiny Helpers To Spot Bioterror Attacks," June 13, 2013.
*** also featured on several other websites ***

- Electronics Cooling: "Micro-Vacuum Technology May Cool Future Smartphone Processors," June 10, 2013.

- Design Products & Applications: "DARPA Programme Demonstrates Tiny, Powerful Vacuum Pumps," June 9, 2013.

- Next Big Future: "Vacuum Pumps Made 300 Times Smaller and Using Ten Times Less Power," June 8, 2013.

- Mobile Magazine: "Future Smartphones Could Eventually Use Micro Vacuum Technology," June 7, 2013.
*** also featured on several other websites ***

- POPSCI: "Penny-Sized Vacuum System Could Help Detect Chemical Weapons," June 6, 2013.
*** also featured on several other websites ***

- DARPA: "Mighty Micropumps: Small But Powerful Vacuum Pumps Demonstrated," June 4, 2013.
*** also featured on several other websites ***

Publications

[7] A. Sandoughsaz, A. Besharatian, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "Modular, Stacked, Variable Compression Ratio, Multistage Gas Micropump", forthcoming in IEEE Transducers'15, Anchorage, AL, USA, Jun. 21-25, 2015.

[6] K. Kumar, A. Besharatian, R. L. Peterson, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "Theoretical & Experimental Analysis of Active Valve Pumping for High Flow Rate Applications", 2013 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), San Diego, CA, USA Nov. 15-21, 2013.

[5] A. Besharatian, K. Kumar, R. L. Peterson, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "Valve-Only Pumping in Mechanical Gas Micropumps", IEEE Transducers'13, Barcelona, SPAIN, Jun. 16-20, 2013.

[4] K. Kumar, A. Besharatian, R. L. Peterson, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "A Multiphysics Reduced Order Model of Valve Pumping in a 4-Stage Vacuum Micropump", 2012 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), Houston, TX, USA, Nov. 9-15, 2012.
*** Won the Best Paper Award of 2012 ASME IMECE ***

[3] A. Besharatian, K. Kumar, R. L. Peterson, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "A Modular, Multistage, Peristaltic, Electrostatic Gas Micropump", IEEE MEMS'10, Paris, FRANCE, Jan. 29 - Feb. 2, 2012.

[2] K. Kumar, A. Besharatian, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "Transient Performance and Coupled Acoustic Structural and Electrostatic Modeling of a Multistage Vacuum Micropump", 2011 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (IMECE), Denver, CO, USA, Nov. 11-17, 2011.

[1] S. Lee, S. Y. Yee, A. Besharatian, H. Kim, L. P. Bernal, K. Najafi, "Adaptive Gas Pumping by Controlled Timing of Active Microvalves in Peristaltic Micropumps", IEEE Transducers'09, Denver, CO, USA, Jun. 21-25, 2009.

Other Presentations
(funding, symposiums, etc.)

"A Scalable, Modular, Multistage, Peristaltic, Electrostatic Gas Micropump" at:

      - 2011, 2012, 2013 WIMS IAB Meetings, University of Michigan, Oct. 2011, May and Oct. 2012, May 2013.
      - 2013 Workshop on Nano and Micro Manufacturing, Ford Motor Company Conference and Event Center, Dearborn, MI, May 2013.
      - 2013 Hutchinson Meeting, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Mar. 2013.
      - DARPA CSVMP PI Meeting, San Diego, CA, Feb. 2012.
      - 2011 and 2012 Engineering Graduate Symposium, University of Michigan, Nov. 2011 and 2012.
      - DARPA HiVac PI Meeting, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Nov. 2010.

"An Integrated, High Flow, High Pressure, Low Power Gas Micropump" at:

- 2008, 2009, 2010 WIMS IAB Meetings, University of Michigan, May and Oct. 2008, May and Oct. 2009, May and Oct. 2010.
- 2009 and 2010 Engineering Graduate Symposium, University of Michigan, Nov. 2009 and 2010.

Ali Besharatian Ali Besharatian Ali Besharatian Ali Besharatian Ali Besharatian Ali Besharatian Ali Besharatian