Faculty Directory

Rubloff, Gary

Rubloff, Gary

Distinguished University Professor
Minta Martin Professor of Engineering
Director, Nanostructures for Electrical Energy Storage
Fellow, APS
Fellow, AVS
Materials Science and Engineering
The Institute for Systems Research
Institute for Research in Electronics & Applied Physics
Maryland Energy Innovation Institute
Electrical and Computer Engineering
1134 Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building
Website(s):

EDUCATION

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Physics, Brown University, 1971-73
  • Ph.D., Physics, University of Chicago, 1971
  • M.S., Physics, University of Chicago, 1967
  • B.A., Physics, Dartmouth College, 1966

BACKGROUND

Dr. Rubloff has published more than 200 papers, holds 21 patents and holds 6 IBM Invention Achievement Awards. He won the AVS Gaede-Langmuir Prize in 2000 "for inventive application of surface science and vacuum technology to the semiconductor industry, and for fostering an effective bridge between AVS research and manufacturing." This award was established 1977 to recognize and encourage outstanding discoveries and inventions in the sciences and technologies of interest to the AVS. He is a Fellow of APS and AVS. His research has included solid state physics, surface physics and chemistry, interfaces, semiconductor materials and processing science and technology, process diagnostics and modeling, manufacturing science, combinatorial materials science, biomaterials and bioMEMS. His semiconductor process research has emphasized the elucidation of chemical and physical mechanisms involved in surface cleaning, thermal oxidation, chemical vapor deposition, and plasma etching, and in pursing these directions he pioneered the exploitation of ultrahigh vacuum process environments and their integration with in-situ surface and interface diagnostics.

Dr. Rubloff received his B.A. in Physics magna cum laude from Dartmouth College in 1966, his M.S. in 1967 and his Ph.D. in 1971 in Physics from the University of Chicago. He held a postdoctoral position in Physics at Brown University from 1971 to 1973. In 1973 he joined IBM Research, Yorktown Heights, NY, as a Research Staff Member in the Physical Sciences Department, were he worked on surface and interface science. In 1984-85 he served as Technical Assistant to the IBM Research Vice-President for Logic and Memory, and from 1985 to 1991 he continued his research while serving in several capacities as Manager of exploratory materials and processing in the Silicon Technology Department. From 1992-1993 he was Manager of Thin Film Process Modeling in the Manufacturing Research Department. From 1992 to 1997 he was also Professor Adjunct in Electrical Engineering at Yale University.

He joined academia in 1993 as Associate Director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Electronic Materials Processing and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at North Carolina State University, focusing on real-time process sensing, simulation, optimization, and control.

In 1996 he joined the University of Maryland as Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute for Systems Research. He served as Director of the Institute from 1996 to 2001. In 2004 he was named Minta Martin Professor of Engineering and assumed the position of founding Director of the Maryland NanoCenter. He is also an affiliate faculty member of the the Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics (IREAP), the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, and the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.

Dr. Rubloff was the founding Chairman of the AVS Manufacturing Science and Technology Group from 1992-1997 and continues to serve on its Executive Committee. He has been a member of the Metrology Technical Working Group for the SIA's National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors since its inception in 1994. He has been active in professional society work, including the Board of Directors of the AVS, Executive Committees of the AVS Electronic Materials and Processing Division, the APS Materials Physics Division, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. He has long been active in civic affairs, included 11 years service as an elected Member, Vice-President, and President of a local Board of Education in New York State.

Prior to joining the faculty of the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, Professor Rubloff served as the associate director of North Carolina State University's NSF Engineering Research Center for Advanced Electronic Materials Processing and as an adjunct professor of electrical engineering at Yale University. Before pursuing a career in academia, he served for 20 years in a variety of research and management positions at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, N.Y.

Professor Rubloff is a past director of the Institute for Systems Research, of which he remains an active member.

HONORS AND AWARDS

  • AVS Gaede-Langmuir Prize, 2000 “for the inventive application of surface science and vacuum technology to the semiconductor industry, and for fostering an effective bridge between AVS research and manufacturing”. This award is presented biennially “to recognize and encourage outstanding discoveries and inventions in the sciences and technologies of interest to the American Vacuum Society."
  • Fellow of the American Physical Society (1986)
  • Fellow of AVS (formerly American Vacuum Society) (1993)
  • Six IBM Invention Achievement Awards
  • IBM Research Division Award for MCP Chromium Metallurgy, 1986

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • APS 
  • AVS
  • IEEE
  • MRS

Professor Rubloff has been very active in industry and consortium activities, consulting, professional societies, government agency activities (including the DOE and NSF), and in service to the University of Maryland through advising, teaching, and his participation in department, college and university-level committees. He has also served on the editorial boards of a variety of publications, and on professional conference program committees. Please see Professor Rubloff's C.V. (PDF) for a complete list of his academic, industrial, government and community service activities.

Orcid: 0000-0002-1901-3982, Google Scholar

  • Multifunctional nanostructures for energy storage and capture
  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD) process, mechanisms, and technology
  • Nanoscale devices for quantum computing

For detailed information about these projects, please visit Professor Rubloff's website.

Nanostructures and Energy Applications
  • Nanostructures for Energy Devices
  • Characterization of multilayer structures in nanopores
  • AAO-ALD nanodevices and energy systems
Electronic Materials and Processes
  • Atomic layer deposition (ALD)
  • ALD-based Josephson junctions for quantum computing
  • Programmable and combinatorial chemical vapor deposition
  • Semiconductor materials, processing, and characterization
Nanomanufacturing
  • Sensing and advanced process control for widegap semiconductor growth
  • Real-time chemical process sensing for metrology and advanced process control
  • Simulation and optimization in dynamic process systems

Professor Rubloff currently teaches or has taught the following courses:

  • ENMA 465: Microprocessing of Materials (also offered as ENMA 489B)
  • ENMA 490: Materials Design: Capstone Design Course
  • ENMA 659S: Systems Design for Microelectronics Manufacturing Processes (also offered as "Materials and Processes for Microelectronics")

Please visit Professor Rubloff's web site to learn more about his industry short courses and courses he has taught for the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

 

Professor Rubloff has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers. For a complete list of publications, please visit his web site

  • “Integration of Diverse Biological Materials in Micro/Nano Devices”, Reza Ghodssi, Peter Dykstra, Mariana Meyer, Stephan Koev, Konstantinos Gerasopoulos, Xiaolong Luo, Gary Rubloff, William Bentley, Gregory Payne, James Culver, Advanced Materials and Technologies for Micro/Nano-Devices, Sensors and Actuators, NATO Science for Peace and Security Series B: Physics and Biophysics. ISBN 978-90-481-3805-0. Springer Science+Business Media B.V., 2010, p. 275; DOI: 10.1007/978-90-481-3807-4_22
  • “Structural, electrical, and optical properties of atomic layer deposition Al-doped ZnO films”, Parag Banerjee, Won-Jae Lee, Ki Ryeol Bae, Sang Bok Lee, and Gary W. Rubloff, J.Appl. Phys. 108 (4), 043504 (17 Aug 2010), DOI: 10.1063/1.3466987. 
  • “Chitosan: An Integrative Biomaterial for Lab-on-a-chip Devices”, S. T. Koev, P. H. Dykstra, X. Luo, G.W. Rubloff, W.E. Bentley, G.F. Payne, and R. Ghodssi, Lab on a Chip 10, 3026-3042 (2010), DOI: 10.1039/C0LC00047G.
  • “Biofabrication to build the biology-device interface”, Yi Liu, Eunkyoung Kim, Reza Ghodssi, Gary W. Rubloff, James N. Culver, William E. Bentley, and Gregory F. Payne, Biofabrication 2, 1-21, 022002, DOI: 10.1088/1758-5082/2/2/022002.
  • “Profile evolution for conformal atomic layer deposition over nanotopography”, Erin R. Cleveland, Parag Banerjee, Israel Perez, Sang Bok Lee, and Gary W. Rubloff, ACS Nano (14 Jul 2010), DOI: 10.1021/nn1009984
  • “In situ quantitative visualization and characterization of chitosan electrodeposition with paired sidewall electrodes”, Yi Cheng, Xiaolong Luo, Jordan Betz, Susan Buckhout-White, Omar Bekdash, Gregory F. Payne, William E. Bentley, and Gary W. Rubloff, Soft Matter 6, 3177-3183 (2010), DOI:10.1039/C0SM00124D.
  • “Chitosan to electroaddress biological components in lab-on-a-chip devices”, Y. Liu, X.-W. Shi, E. Kim, L. M. Robinson, C. K. Nye, R. Ghodssi, G. W. Rubloff, W. E. Bentley, and G. F. Payne, Carbohydrate Polymers (2010); DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.03.038.
  • “In-Film Bioprocessing and Immunoanalysis with Electroaddressable Stimuli-Responsive Polysaccharides”, Xiaohua Yang, Eunkyoung Kim, Yi Liu, Xiao-Wen Shi, Gary W. Rubloff, Reza Ghodssi, William E. Bentley, Zeev Pancer, and Gregory F. Payne, Adv. Functional Mat. 20, 1645-1652 (2010), DOI: 10.1002/adfm.200902092
  • “Biological nanofactories facilitate spatially-selective capture and manipulation of quorum sensing bacteria in a bioMEMS device”, Rohan Fernandes, Xiaolong Luo, Chen-Yu Tsao, Reza Ghodssi, Gary W. Rubloff, and William E. Bentley, Lab on Chip 10, 1128-1134 (2010), DOI: 10.1039/b926846d
  • “ALD-based Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) Nanocapacitors for Energy Storage", Parag Banerjee, Israel Perez, Laurent Henn-Lecordier, Sang Bok Lee,and Gary Rubloff, ECS Transactions 25 (4), 345-353 (2009).

UMD Start-Up Ionic Devices Wins Microbattery Design Prize

One of Eight Awarded by US Department of Energy

Ten Maryland MSE Faculty Members Ranked in Top 2% of World Scientists

Elsevier releases updated science-wide database

Alum develops bioelectric effect toothbrush

Young Wook Kim's TROMATZ toothbrush improves mouth and gum health.

MSE Ph.D. Student Daniela Fontecha Receives NSF Fellowship Award

Fontecha's research, which will focus on energy storage technology, will be supported  with a three-year stipend.

UMD Makes U.S. DOE Solar District Cup Finals

The Solar District Cup challenges multidisciplinary student teams to design and model optimized distributed energy systems for a campus or urban district.

UMD Research Team Advances the Battery Revolution

Solid state energy storage research receives $2.25M in DOE funding.

Spurring research group creativity in the time of COVID-19

Student-faculty teams that write review articles for journals reap multiple benefits.

MEI2 leads U.S. side of $18.4M U.S.-Israel Energy Center focused on Energy Storage

Project will Develop Lithium and Sodium Metal Solid State Batteries for Advanced Energy Storage Applications

Emily Hitz Named by Nature as One of Five Early Career Researchers in Materials Science

Hitz is an MSE Ph.D. student, advised by Liangbing Hu, conducting research on solid-state batteries.

A New Dimension for Batteries

Nanostructured battery is safe, manufacturing-compatible, and delivers much higher power at high energy

Prof. Sang Bok Lee appointed director of Maryland NanoCenter

UMD chemist will direct two labs on nanoscale fabrication and characterization

Outstanding Microscopist and Teacher Honored with Fellowship

Dr. Wen-An Chiou, director of the AIM Lab, selected as Microscopy Society of America Fellow

New microsystems detect, treat bacterial biofilms that cause post-operative infections

'Flexible impedance sensor' can fit inside urinary catheters, monitor and treat biofilms.

MSE Students Selected as Finalists for the 2017 Collegiate Inventors Competition

Stretchable Silicon Photovoltaics is a new design for silicon solar cells.

MSE PhD Student Receives 3-Year NASA Fellowship

Emily Hitz is one of only five recipients of Aeronautics Scholarships and Advanced STEM Training and Research Fellowship.

NEES Grad Student Pens EFRC Newsletter Article on Metastable Materials

Summer 2017 EFRC Newsletter carries UMD grad student's story

Decade of TMV research leads to never-before-seen microsystems for energy storage, biosensors and self-sustaining systems

Long-term Ghodssi-Culver partnership has used the Tobacco mosaic virus as a biological nanoscaffold for groundbreaking devices.

7th Annual Engineering Sustainability Day focuses on Energy Storage

This year's theme focused on energy storage -  pervasive message that we should promote and advocate for scientists and the science.

Four Clark School Professors Named Distinguished University Professor

In 2016, four of the 10 Distinguished University Professors named by the University of Maryland are Clark School professors.

Rubloff Discusses UMD Energy Storage Center and Energy Science Hot Topics

UMD prof and center director on Electrochemical Society meeting podcast

Mesoscale Science Research Highlighted on Materials Journal Cover

Rubloff and Lee show new direction in electrical energy storage

New Battery Demonstrates “Sweet Spot” of Electrolyte Thickness and Composition

Atom-scale synthesis makes highly conductive LiPON for solid-state battery

Reza Ghodssi named AVS Fellow

Citation reads: "For outstanding leadership in microsystems technology achieved by combining knowledge of materials and processing, innovative device concepts, and diverse applications."

Thin coatings controlled at atomic scale protect high performance lithium anodes

Anodes with layer of alumina resist corrosion and cycle well

Members of NEES Gather for 2015 Spring Accomplishment Meeting

Poster session, in-depth discussions, presentations.... and hiking

2015 Dean's Student Research Awards

Winners of the 2015 Dean's Student Research Awards have been announced.

Food Safety, Energy Storage & Video Authentication Inventions Honored at Awards Ceremony

Three Clark School innovations win UMD Invention of the Year Awards

Invention of the Year Finalist: A Revolutionary, High Density, Nanopore Battery

Research team led by Rubloff and Lee develops battery using optimized nanostructure design

UMD To Celebrate Innovations and Partnerships April 29

Nine nominees for Invention of the Year to be recognized at annual event

A Billion Holes Can Make a Battery

Battery inside a nanopore has commercial potential

Department of Energy renews NEES EFRC for four years

The center develops highly ordered nanostructures that offer a unique way of looking at the science of energy storage.

NSF Grants for Graphene Research Awarded to Hu, Rubloff

Research at the nano-scale nets university over half-million dollars in funding

2013 Dinah Berman Memorial Award Given to NanoCenter Member

MSE student honored for academics and service  

Nano ‘Beads on a String’ Could Advance Battery Technology

Pulsing with lithium, tiny silicon beads on a nanotube hold promise for better batteries

Rubloff Co-Authors Major DoE Report on Emerging Energy Technologies

Publication focuses on opportunities in mesoscale science.

New Minta Martin Professors Named

Historic honor recognizes full professors who have made significant scholarly contributions.

2012 Energy Research Fellows Announced

Hulka, Hendricks awards will fund diverse sustainable energy research projects.

Preventing Costly, Life-Threatening Catheter Infections

Deutsch Foundation-sponsored Clark School research offers multi-pronged attack on major medical problem.

Bacteria Programmed to Re-Create UMD Logo

Feat part of larger body of Clark School research into preventing infections.

Systems Researchers Partner with Trento, Italy

Joint efforts to target bioengineering, renewable energy, nanomaterials, microsystems, education.

Pocket Change Improves High-End Sensors

Betz, Rubloff develop new spectroscopy method to detect toxins, explosives, viruses.

Takeuchi Elected APS Fellow

Cited for pioneering work in combinatorial materials science.

Materials Scientists, Conservators Join Forces

Team develops nanometers-thick, protective coatings for silver art, artifacts.

2010 Dean's Doctoral Research Awards Announced

Biomaterial synthesis, MEMS and energy research recognized.

Espy-Wilson, Rubloff Are Top UM Inventors

Speech enhancing algorithm, high-density energy storage cells named best of '09.

No Batteries, or Solar Cells, Required

Grad student Parag Banerjee's group develops new nanocircuit to power electronic devices.

Rubloff Team Wins $2.8M Army Grant

Funds support design of nano-tech coherent dielectric barriers for quantum computing.

Clark School Hosts PowerMEMS Community

Micro and nano-scale power generation experts tour labs, review research.

Dean's Master's Student Research Awards Announced

Bradley Johnson, aerospace engineering, takes first place for rotorcraft research.

UMERC/Nanocenter Team Named "Energy Frontier" Center

DOE to award $14M for nanotech storage technology crucial to renewable energy success.

Parag Banerjee Wins Presidential Student Award

Microscopy Society of America honors MSE grad student for nanotube crystallization paper.

NanoCenter Improves Energy Storage Options

Maryland NanoCenter researchers create new device to store electrical energy.

New Advance in Biochip Research

Microfactories for drug research are one step closer to reality.

Deutsch Named Professor of the Practice

RWD Technologies founder recognized for career, support of USM.

$2M NSF Grant for "Bacterial Communication"

Cellular and biomolecular engineering research to focus on biofunctionalized devices.

NSF Funds Microscopy Facility Upgrades

Kim Building laboratory will benefit from added chemical analysis capabilities.

$1 Million For Nano-Bio Initiative

Deutsch Foudation will fund Clark School bioengineering research on the nanoscale.

Crab Nano-Sensor Detects Dangerous Substances

A material found in crab shells is part of a new sensor system.

Prime-Time Nano: M-CINSE Featured on PBS

Gary Rubloff and the Maryland Center for Integrated Nano Science and Engineering (M-CINSE) were the focus of PBS's "Nightly Business Report."

Euro-Nano Collaboration Event Features Experts, Fine Belgian Beer

They came to UM looking for nanotech collaborators, and brought fine Belgian beer to enhance the networking experience.

Keck Laboratory for Combinatorial Nanosynthesis and Multiscale Characterization to be established at the University of Maryland

UMD received $750,000 award from W. M. Keck Foundation to establish new Keck Laboratory for Combinatorial Nanosynthesis and Multiscale Characterization

American Physical Society (APS)

  • APS, 1986

American Vacuum Society

  • AVS, 1993