Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory Hosts International Workshop: Deepening Cross-Disciplinary Applications of Plasma in Semiconductor Manufacturing and Controlled Nuclear Fusion

On the occasion of its 75th anniversary, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hosted the second “Adopting Sustainable Partnerships for Innovative Research Ecosystem” (ASPIRE) international workshop in the fall of 2026. The workshop was organized by the laboratory's Applied Materials and Sustainability Sciences Directorate and brought together scholars from the University of Osaka in Japan and the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in South Korea, as well as researchers from PPPL, to focus on frontier cross-disciplinary applications of plasma and advanced materials science in semiconductor microelectronics manufacturing and nuclear fusion devices.

The workshop featured in-depth exchanges on core topics including computer simulation, plasma diagnostic measurement systems, semiconductor wafer etching, artificial intelligence-assisted control, and plasma processing of advanced electronic and quantum materials. PPPL Principal Research Physicist Igor Kaganovich stated that the workshop aimed to promote regular communication and technological complementarity between PPPL and East Asian research teams. As one of the few national laboratories in the United States deeply engaged in the mechanisms of plasma micromachining, PPPL is leveraging its profound foundation in low-temperature plasma physics to drive semiconductor manufacturing from the traditional engineering experience model reliant on “trial and error” toward underlying design based on precise physical science.

Currently, PPPL is positioning microelectronics research as one of the laboratory's strategic pillars for the next decade. In its latest annual laboratory plan, PPPL has defined a microelectronics development roadmap encompassing a five-year microelectronics strategic plan, two operational DOE Microelectronics Research Centers, and the soon-to-be-completed Princeton Plasma Innovation Center (PPIC) complex. In addition, the laboratory is leading major frontier research projects including “Plasma-Enabled 2D Materials for Energy-Efficient Microelectronics” and “Diamond-Based Extreme Environment Sensing,” directly aligning with the U.S. Department of Energy's strategic layout to rebuild domestic microelectronics competitiveness.

At the industrial collaboration level, with the explosive growth of global artificial intelligence computing chips and advanced wafer fab construction, PPPL is currently advancing six public-private partnership (PPP) research and development projects with industry leaders such as Lam Research, Applied Materials, Samsung, and Element Six. Collaboration content includes optimizing flash memory technology performance, developing atomic-level precision chip etching tools, improving lithographic patterning processes for ultra-thin nanofilm layers, and developing novel surface coating materials that can simplify transistor manufacturing, achieving deep integration between frontier basic research and the semiconductor industrial manufacturing chain.

Beyond the expansion in microelectronics, materials science also constitutes the cornerstone for PPPL's advancement of its core mission in magnetic confinement nuclear fusion. The laboratory's research team is conducting in-depth studies on the application mechanisms of functional elements such as lithium (Lithium) and boron (Boron) in plasma-facing first wall components, in order to withstand the tens-of-millions-of-degrees high thermal load impact from the fusion reactor core and enhance plasma confinement performance. PPPL researcher Hanna Schamis emphasized that plasma-material interaction research oriented toward fusion engineering is highly interdisciplinary in nature, and fundamental breakthroughs in materials science will be the core prerequisite for controlled nuclear fusion to ultimately achieve commercial engineering deployment.