Albert D. Liao
Current Address:
152 Charles St, APT. 1
Cambridge, MA 02141
Web: http://mit.edu/aliao/
U.S. citizen
Education:
aliao@mit.edu
Office Address:
77 Massachusetts Ave, 13-3025
Cambridge, MA 02139
Office: 617.253.6860
Cell: 408.892.0373
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – College of Engineering
Ph. D., Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE): December 2012
M.S. ECE Degree: December 2008
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
B.S., Physics with high distinction: May 2007
Minor: Mathematics
Concentration: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Research
Experience:
08/12—present: Postdoctoral Associate (Adviser: Prof. Mildred S. Dresselhaus, MIT)
Research Area: Energy Harvesting, Energy Transport, Nano-electronic Devices
Notable Achievements
 Discovered texture dependent anisotropic electronic transport in Bi thin films.
 Demonstrated a resistive non-volatile switch from carbon nanotube networks.
 Uncovered interactions between carbon nanotube networks and SiO 2 responsible
for returning non-volatile switches to a highly resistive state.
08/07—08/12: Graduate Research Assistant (Adviser: Prof. Eric Pop, UIUC ECE)
Research Area: Energy Efficient Device Design, Nano-electronic Devices
Notable Achievements
 Discovered impact ionization in semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs).
 Measured the optical phonon emission mean free path in semiconducting CNTs.
 Made significant contributions to invention of a phase change memory device
integrating carbon nanotubes as contacts.
 Uncovered the diameter dependence of CNTs on the heat dissipation efficiency
into the surrounding environment.
 Illuminated the role of substrate heat spreading on graphene nanoribbon device
performance and energy efficiency.
 Discovered the current carrying capacity of a metallic carbon nanotube was double
what was previously established in the literature.
01/06—03/07 Undergraduate Research Assistant (Adviser: Prof. Russell Giannetta,
UIUC Physics)
Research Area: Superconductivity, Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)
Notable Achievement
 Extracted spin-lattice relaxation time from the Li and B NMR peaks in Li2Pt3B
Industry
Experience:
05/09-08/09 IBM summer intern (through IBM fellowship)
Front End of the Line Unit Process (Manager: Sadanand V. Deshpande)
 Chemical mechanical polishing CAD model verification
 Modeling chemical vapor deposition growth
 Raman on dual strain liners for characterizing strain
03/10 and 07/10 NIST visit (Collaboration with Dr. Curt Richter)
 High bias noise measurements on single-walled carbon nanotube transistors
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Awards:
UIUC ECE Gregory Stillman Semiconductor Research Award (2011)
UIUC ECE departmental award for demonstrating excellence in research in the field
of semiconductor research
TSMC Fourth Annual Outstanding Student Research Award Bronze Prize (2010)
Worldwide research competition award for outstanding work in the field of physics
and chemistry of electronic materials
SRC NRI Hans J. Coufal Fellowship (2009-2012)
Four year full fellowship awarded to a student whose principle investigator is funded
by the Nanoelectronics Research Initiative (NRI)
IBM fellowship (2009-2010)
Worldwide graduate student fellowship competition sponsored by IBM
Skills
Fabrication: Photolithography, electron beam lithography, metal evaporation, sputtering,
chemical vapor deposition, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer
deposition, dry and wet etching
Characterization: Electrical measurement testing, thermal transport testing, atomic force
microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, x-ray
diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ellipsometry, Raman spectroscopy
Coding: Finite element modeling, expert in Matlab, proficient in C/C++ and Labview
Leadership & University of Illinois IEEE Electron Device Society (EDS) student chapter co-chair
Service:
 Organize EDS events, including seminars and social events
Nano-EP (nano-electronic and photonics) seminar organizing committee
 Inviting and hosting seminar speakers
Promoting Undergraduate Research in ECE (P.U.R.E) committee member and mentor
 Organizing undergraduate research opportunities for underclassmen
Volunteer sorter for American Physics Society 2013 March meetings
Journal Peer Reviewer
 Applied Physics Letters, IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology, IEEE
Transactions on Electron Devices, IOP Nanotechnology, IOP Journal of Physics
D: Applied Physics, AIP Advances, International Journal of Numerical
Modeling: Electronic Networks, Devices, and Fields
 Selected to the 2012 IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices golden reviewers
list by their editorial board
Teaching/
Advising
experience:
Mentor for Undergraduate Researchers (4 mentees)
 4 journal articles and 8 conference papers published by mentees
 Mentee graduate studies: 3 at Stanford and 1 at MIT
Grader for ECE 565 Energy Dissipation in Electronics
 Homework grading and guest Lecutring
Instructor for ENG 333 CIV (Creativity, Innovation, and Vision)
 Lesson planning and grading
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16. A. D. Liao, C. M. Neumann, E. Pop, "Upper Limits of Current Flow in SingleJournal
Walled Carbon Nanotube Interconnects," in preparation
Publications:
639 citations
H-index= 11 15. W. Fang, A. Hsu, Y. C. Shin, A. Liao, S. Huang, Y. Song, X. Ling, M. S.
Dresselhaus, T. Palacios, J. Kong, "Application of tungsten as a carbon sink for
synthesis of large-domain uniform monolayer graphene free of bilayers/multilayers, "
Nanoscale 7, 4929 (2015)
14. A. D. Liao, P. T. Araujo, R. Xu, M. S. Dresselhaus, "Carbon Nanotube NetworkSilicon Oxide Non-volatile Switches," Nature Communications 5, 5673 (2014)
13. A. D. Liao, M. Yao, F. Katmis, M. Li, M. Li, S. Tang, J. Moodera, C. Opeil, and M.
S. Dresselhaus, "Induced Electronic Anisotropy in Bismuth Thin Films," Applied
Physics Letters 105, 063114 (2014)
12. F. Xiong, M.-H. Bae, Y. Dai, A. D. Liao, A. Behnam, E.A. Carrion, S. Hong, D.
Ielmini, E. Pop, "Self-Aligned Nanotube-Nanowire Phase Change Memory," Nano
Letters 13, 464-469 (2013)
11. R. Alizadegan, A. D. Liao, F. Xiong, E. Pop, K. J. Hsia, "Effects of Tip-Nanotube
Interaction on Atomic Force Microscopy Imaging of Carbon Nanotubes," Nano
Research 5, 235 (2012) Selected as cover article
10. C.-L. Tsai, A. Liao, E. Pop, M. Shim, “Electrical Power Dissipation in
Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes on Single Crystal Quartz and Amorphous SiO2,"
Applied Physics Letters 99, 053120 (2011) Selected for Virtual Journal of
Nanoscale Science & Technology Aug 22, 2011 issue
9. A. D. Liao, J. Wu, X. Wang, K. Tahy, D. Jena, H. Dai, E. Pop, "Thermally-Limited
Current Carrying Ability of Graphene Nanoribbons," Physical Review Letters 106,
256801 (2011) Selected for Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology
July 4, 2011 issue
8. F. Xiong, A. D. Liao, D. Estrada, E. Pop, "Low Power Switching of Phase-Change
Materials with Carbon Nanotube Electrodes," Science 332, 568 (2011). Selected as
cover article
7. A. Liao, R. Alizadegan, Z.-Y. Ong, S. Dutta, F. Xiong, K.J. Hsia, E. Pop, "Thermal
Dissipation and Variability in Electrical Breakdown of Carbon Nanotube Devices,"
Physical Review B 82, 205406 (2010). Selected for Virtual Journal of Nanoscale
Science & Technology Nov 15, 2010 issue
6. E. Landis, K. Klein, A. Liao, E. Pop, D. Hensley, A. Melechko, R. Hamers,
"Covalent Functionalization and Electron-Transfer Properties of Vertically Aligned
Carbon Nanofibers: The importance of Edge-Plane Sites," Chemistry of Materials 22,
2357 (2010)
5. D. Estrada, S. Dutta, A. Liao, E. Pop, "Reduction of Hysteresis for Carbon Nanotube
Mobility Measurements Using Pulsed Characterization," Nanotechnology 21, 085702
(2010)
4. F. Xiong, A. Liao, E. Pop, “Inducing Chalcogenide Phase Change with Ultra-Narrow
Carbon Nanotube Heaters,” Applied Physics Letters 95, 243103 (2009). Selected for
Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology Jan 4, 2010 issue
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3. Y. Zhao, A. Liao, E. Pop, “Efficient Multi-Band Mobility Model for Semiconducting
Carbon Nanotubes,” IEEE Electron Device Letters 30, 1078 (2009)
2. J. Lee, A. Liao, E. Pop, W.P. King, “Electrical and Thermal Coupling to a SingleWall Carbon Nanotube Device Using an Electro-Thermal Nanoprobe,” Nano Letters,
9, 1356 (2009)
1. A. Liao, Y. Zhao, E. Pop, “Avalanche-Induced Current Enhancement in
Semiconducting Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes,” Physical Review Letters 101,
256804 (2008). Selected for Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology
Jan 5, 2009 issue
Conference
Proceedings:
(Refereed)
24. S. V. Boriskina, W.-C. Hsu, J. Zhou, J. Cuffe, K. Collins, B. Liao, J. Tong, A. Liao,
M. Dresselhaus, G. Chen, "Broadband Photon-to-Hot-Electron Harvesting with Thin
Graphite Layers," MRS Fall Meeting, 2014 Boston, MA
23. A. D. Liao, P. T. Araujo, M. S. Dresselhaus, "Carbon Nanotube Network-SiO2 NonVolatile Switches," MRS Fall Meeting, Dec. 2014, Boston, MA
22. P. T. Araujo, A. D. Liao, H. Y. Jung, J. Hao, Y. J. Jung, M. S. Dresselhaus, "Carbon
Nanotube Network Anti-fuses," APS March Meeting, Mar. 2014, Denver, CO
21. A. D. Liao, M. Yao, F. Katmis, S. Tang, J. Moodera, C. Opeil, M. S. Dresselhaus,
"Magnetoresistance Measurements of Textured and Non-Textured Bismuth Thin
Films," APS March Meeting, Mar. 2014, Denver, CO
20. A. D. Liao, C.M. Neumann, E. Pop, "Probing the Upper Limits of Current Density in
One-Dimensional Carbon Interconnects," MRS Fall Meeting, Nov. 2012, Boston,
MA
19. F. Xiong, M.-H. Bae, Y. Dai, A. D. Liao, A. Behnam, E. Carrion, S. Hong, D.
Ielmini, E. Pop, “Nanowire Phase Change Memory with Carbon Nanotube
Electrodes,” IEEE Device Research Conference (DRC), June 2012, State College, PA
18. A. Liao, C. Neumann, E. Pop, "Fundamental Limits of Current Flow in Onedimensional Carbon Nanomaterials," APS March Meeting, Mar. 2012, Boston, MA
17. A. Liao, J. Wu, X. Wang, K. Tahy, D. Jena, H. Dai, E. Pop, “Thermally-Limited
Current Carrying Ability of Graphene Nanoribbons,” TECHCON 2011, Sep. 2011,
Austin, TX
16. F. Xiong, M.-H. Bae, A. Liao,Y. Dai, E. Pop, “Phase-Change Memory Nanowires
with Self-Aligned Carbon Nanotube Electrodes,” TECHCON 2011, Sep. 2011,
Austin, TX
15. A. Liao, J. Wu, X. Wang, K. Tahy, D. Jena, H. Dai, E. Pop, “Thermally-Limited
Current Carrying Ability of Graphene Nanoribbons,” Graphene 2011, Apr. 2011,
Bilbao, Spain
14. F. Xiong, M.-H. Bae, A. Liao, Y. Dai, E. Pop, "GST Nanowires with Self-aligned
Carbon Nanotube Electrodes," MRS Spring Meeting, Apr. 2011, San Francisco, CA
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13. F. Xiong, A. Liao, M.-H. Bae, D. Estrada, E. Pop, "Integrating Carbon-Based
Nanoelectronics with Chalcogenide Phase Change Memory," EDSSC, Dec. 2010,
Hong Kong
12. M. Rudan, F. Giovanardi, T. Tsafack, F. Xiong, E. Piccinini, F. Buscemi, A. Liao, E.
Pop, R. Brunetti, C. Jacoboni, "Modeling of the Voltage Snap-Back in AmorphousGST Memory Devices," SISPAD, Sept. 2010, Bologna, Italy
11. A. Liao, R. Alizadegan, S. Dutta, Z.-Y. Ong, K. J. Hsia, E. Pop, "Thermal
Dissipation, Reliability, and Breakdown of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes,"
TECHCON, Sept. 2010, Austin, TX
10. D. Estrada, S. Dutta, A. Liao, E. Pop, "Pulsed characterization for hysteresis-free
carbon nanotube mobility measurements," Nanotubes 2010, June 2010, Montreal,
Canada
9. F. Xiong, A. Liao, D. Estrada, E. Pop, "Ultra-Low Power Phase Change Memory
with Carbon Nanotube Interconnects," Device Research Conference, June 2010,
Notre Dame, IN
8. A. Liao, S. Dutta, Z.-Y. Ong, E. Pop, "Joule Breakdown and Thermal Dissipation of
Carbon Nanotubes with SiO 2 Substrates," MRS Spring Meeting, Apr. 2010, San
Francisco, CA
7. C. Richter, O. Jurchescu, X. Liang, D. Gundlach, A. Liao, E. Pop, "Noise in singlewall carbon nanotubes under high electric field stress," APS March Meeting, Mar.
2010, Portland, OR
6. F. Xiong, A. Liao, E. Pop, "Ultra-Low Current Phase-Change Antifuse with Carbon
Nanotube Electrodes," Non-Volatile Memory Technology Symposium, Oct. 2009,
Portland, OR
5. F. Xiong, A. Liao, K. Darmawikarta, J. Abelson, and E. Pop, "Chalcogenide Phase
Change Induced with Carbon Nanotube Heaters," TECHCON, Sept. 2009, Austin,
TX
4. A. Liao, F. Xiong, K. Darmawikarta, J. Abelson, and E. Pop, " Chalcogenide Phase
Change Induced with Single‐Wall Carbon Nanotube Heaters,” Device Research
Conference, June 2009, State College, PA
3. D. Estrada, S. Dutta, A. Liao, E. Pop, "Hysteresis-Free Mobility Measurements of
Carbon Nanotube Transistors by Pulsed I-V Characterization," Device Research
Conference, June 2009, State College, PA
2. K. Darmawikarta, B. Lee, S. Raoux, A. Liao, E. Pop, S. Bishop, J. Abelson,
"Analysis of Nanoscale Transformation of Phase Change Material," Materials
Research Society Spring Meeting, Apr. 2009, San Francisco, CA
1. A. Liao and E. Pop, "Impact Ionization in Semiconducting Single-Wall Carbon
Nanotubes," Device Research Conference, June 2008, Santa Barbara, CA
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Conference
Proceedings:
(Invited)
7. A. D. Liao, A. Behnam, V. E. Dorgan, Z. Li, E. Pop, "Reliability, Failure, and
Fundamental Limits of Graphene and Carbon Nanotube Interconnects," IEDM
(International Electronic Devices Meeting), Dec. 2013, Washington DC
6. A. Behnam, F. Xiong, K. L. Grosse, A. Cappelli, S. Hong, N. Wang, M.-H. Bae, Y.
Dai, A. D. Liao, E. A. Carrion, D. Ielmini, E. Piccinini, W. P. King, E. Pop, "Sub-10
nm Scaling of Phase-Change Memory: Thermoelectric Physics, Carbon Nanotube
and Graphene Electrodes," E\PCOS (European Phase-Change and Ovonics
Symposium), Sept. 2013, Berlin, Germany
5. A. Liao, J. Wu, X. Wang, K. Tahy, D. Jena, H. Dai, E. Pop, "Thermally-Limited
Current Carrying Ability of Graphene Nanoribbons," Nanoscale Thermal Transport
Seminar, Dec. 2010, Urbana, IL
4. E. Pop, A. Liao, D. Estrada, Z.-Y. Ong, S. Dutta, "Avalanche, Hysteresis, and
Energy Dissipation in Carbon Nanotube Devices," 217th ECS Meeting, Vancouver,
BC, Canada, Apr. 2010
3. F. Xiong, A. Liao, and E. Pop, "Energy-Efficient Memory Devices with PhaseChange Materials and Carbon Nanotube Electrodes", Nanohour, Nov.2009,
Champaign, IL
2. A. Liao, Sumit Dutta, J. Lee, W.P. King, E. Pop, "Carbon Nanotubes Under Stress:
Avalanche and Joule Breakdown," Techcon, Sept. 2009, Austin, TX
1. E. Pop, S. Dutta, D. Estrada, A. Liao, "Avalanche, Joule Breakdown and Hysteresis
in Carbon Nanotube Transistors," International Reliability Physics Symposium, Apr.
2009, Montreal, Canada
Patents and
Disclosures:
2. E. Pop, F. Xiong, A. D. Liao, "Adaptive Resistive Devices and Methods Thereof,"
US Patent 20130279245, Oct. 24, 2013
1. F. Xiong, A. Liao, E. Pop, “Phase-Change Memory Cell with Carbon Nanotube and
Graphene Electrodes,” Provisional Patent App. No. 61/476,578, Apr. 18, 2011
Theses:
2. A. D. Liao, University of Illinois Ph. D. Thesis: "Probing the Upper Limits of
Current Flow in One-Dimensional Carbon Conductors," Dec. 2012
1. A. D. Liao, University of Illinois M.S. Thesis: "Avalanche-Induced Current
Enhancement in Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes," Dec. 2008
Albert Liao - 6