AMP_04_May_June_2021_Digital_Edition

HIGHL IGHTS A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | M A Y / J U N E 2 0 2 1 7 3 EMERGING PROFESSIONALS Outlook for New Energy Storage Professionals Pralav P. Shetty, postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Matthew McDowell’s lab, Georgia Institute of Technology When I joined a group that works on batteries, I did not fully appreciate the scope of the field of energy storage. Within a few months, it became clear to me that advancements in this field can revolutionize several industries. However, it was also clear that making significant progress requires atomic to battery pack level design and optimization that neces- sitates professionals with various backgrounds working together. Additionally, there are serious challenges to over- come in reducing the environmental impact of manufactur- ing energy storage and related devices. In this article, I will briefly discuss a few of the opportunities and responsibili- ties for new professionals in the field. Since their commercialization three decades ago, lithium-ion batteries have enabled rapid advancements in portable electronics, electric vehicles, and renewable energy storage. Breakthroughs in design, manufacturing, electrode/separator chemistry, and electrolyte formulation have led to a doubling of energy density at a greater than 90% cost reduction. Based on the potential of alloy anodes and solid-state batteries, these trends will likely continue and enable new horizons like electric flight. Advancements in processing lithium-ion conductors are also proving useful for on-chip devices like memristors for neuromorphic com- puting, and sensors to detect toxic or greenhouse gases. The field is at an exciting juncture and I recommend keep- ing an eye out for opportunities beyond traditional battery development. Continued improvements in energy storage systems require interdisciplinary work and collaboration across science and engineering fields. My work is basic and exper- imental as I try to improve the understanding of interca- lation and electrodeposition processes in energy storage devices. Thus, having the support of computational and applied researchers is crucial to verify my findings and test their feasibility in devices. My advice is to think deeply about your interests, develop relevant skills, and find mentors and collaborators who can refine your ideas and findings. Manufacturing batteries and microchip devices are resource-intensive processes. A cylindrical battery pack contains over five kilograms of lithium, which is at risk of becoming endangered in the future, and a two-gram chip Shetty takes 72 grams of chemicals to produce. There lies a huge responsibility to develop high-performance systems with more abundant alternatives like sodium and magnesium and to redesign fabrication, metal extraction, and recycling processes to achieve a safe and sustainable future. With many questions to be answered and improvements to be made, now is an exciting time to join. Welcome aboard! WOMEN IN ENGINEERING This profile series introduces materials scientists from around the world who happen to be females. Here we speak with Yan Li, senior staff packaging engi- neer, Intel Corp., Arizona. What does your typical workday look like? Every day is exciting. Some of my duties include collaborating with other departments to develop new cutting-edge products, having discussions with engineers to recommend detailed experimental steps, hypothesizing new failure mechanisms for semiconductor devices that failed reliability tests, proposing solution paths to fix the fail- ures, and working together with industry partners to invent new fault isolation and failure analysis tools and techniques for advanced 3D microelectronic packages. What part of your job do you like most? I like it the most when we’ve formed a strong team, revealed the root cause of a new failure mode, proposed solution paths, validated it through quick experiments, implemented it to high-volume production, and enjoyed the accomplishments together as a team. What is your engineering background? I received a Ph.D. degree in materials science and engi- neering from Northwestern University, and M.S. and B.S. degrees in physics from Peking University in China. My engi- neering background is multidisciplinary, including materi- als science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and physics. I found that different engineering areas share the same methodology and skills. Having a strong background in physics and mechanical engineering helped me perform in-depth thesis study to achieve my doctorate degree. The multidisciplinary engineering background also made me a unique failure analysis engineer at Intel, for example, reveal- ing root cause and proposing fundamental failure mecha- nisms for device reliability failures and providing long-term solution paths to eliminate the failures. Best career advice, given or received: A career is like a boat sailing against the current. Either you keep forging ahead or you keep falling behind. EMERGING PROFESSIONALS Li