Scientific career and achievements

During his career Ulrich Gösele published more than 750 articles in refereed journals focused on different pioneering areas of materials science. Ulrich Gösele was also well-known and most famous for his seminal book on Semiconductor Wafer Bonding. He developed the first model for the hydrophobic wafer bonding mechanism, he invented the first bonding machine (micro-cleanroom) and developed the “Smarter-Cut” process by using boron and hydrogen ions co-implantation to reduce the critical dose of layer splitting in silicon, which impacted the current silicon-on-insulator technology.

He also developed bonding-based processes for the heterointegration of semiconductors such as silicon carbide, germanium, gallium arsenide, and gallium nitride and various techniques for twist bonding and compliant substrate formation. He also discovered the quantum wire effect in etched nanoporous silicon crystals.

In 1991 Gösele launched the first of the successful Electrochemical Society Symposia on Semiconductor Wafer Bonding: Science, Technology and Applications which he organized for several years. In 1993 he became Director of the Experimental Department II at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle, Germany. He was actively involved in building and establishing this first Max Planck Institute in the former East Germany. He also contributed in shaping the present scientific and technological landscape of south Saxony Anhalt and participated in the development of the Weinberg campus, which is the current technology park in Halle.

Ulrich Gösele devoted time and energy to build synergy between the Max Planck Society and the Fraunhofer Society. This was crystallized by the numerous collaborative projects between the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics and the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM.

Additionally, he served in the advisory board of many High-Tech companies and research institutions. He was also a visiting scientist at Harvard University (Fall 2003). Furthermore, it has to be mentioned that he was cooperated in advisory activities for agents of regional development potentials and the “Landes-Ansiedlungs-Gesellschaft” IMG (Investitions- und Marketinggesellschaft Sachsen-Anhalt).