2016 SVC TechCon

Daniel Higgs
PhD Student
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER


Daniel holds a BS and an MS in Chemistry from the University of Birmingham, UK (2008). He will graduate with his PhD in Chemistry (Materials) from the University of Colorado Boulder, 2016. Daniel has spent the last 6 years researching Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), Molecular Layer Deposition (MLD) and Atomic Layer Etching (ALE) at the University of Colorado Boulder as a PhD Candidate. He is now creating Atomic Layer, LLC to commercialize these technologies. For the past three years, Daniel has also been interim CEO for a startup company where he raised $300k in non-dilutive capital to commercialize a university technology. Prior to the University of Colorado Boulder, Daniel worked in China, Spain and the UK for various research and educational institutions. He is a US permanent resident and is fluent in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. In research, Daniel has worked on ALD/MLD/ALE projects with GE, DuPont. Lockheed Martin, GM, DOE, and NSF. His projects have included; ALD and MLD for polyamide RO desalination membranes; ALD for pore control of graphene-based filters; mechanical testing of thin film ZnO for TCO applications; spatial ALE for high-throughput manufacturing; ALD/MLD water vapor barriers for OLED encapsulation; and ALD for Li metal protection in Li-ion battery safety and performance. During his work at the University of Colorado Boulder, Daniel has designed and built new spatial ALD/MLD equipment with embedded control systems and software for cost effective roll-to-roll scale up of ALD/MLD coatings. He has designed, built and optimized an ultra-sensitive water vapor barrier test set up to measure ultrabarriers for OLED encapsulation, and has also consulted for the University’s Technology Transfer Office to assist in technology assessment and commercialization of multiple university inventions in the materials chemistry space.

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