Christopher Allemang awarded IEEE EDS PhD Fellowship for his work advancing thin-film electronics

PhD student Christopher Allemang has been awarded a PhD Fellowship from the IEEE Electron Devices Society for his research on customizable scalable manufacturing of thin-film electronics. The fellowship honors students who demonstrate significant ability to perform independent research in the fields of electron devices and have a proven history of academic excellence. Only three fellowships are given every year.

Allemang focuses on advancing thin-film electronics for beyond-display technologies, which can support the next generation of electronic skins, textiles, solar cells, and displays. Specifically, he works to expand the adoption of amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOS) for thin-film transistors (TFTs), which are essential to nearly every modern display technology.

In the past, the TFT industry relied on amorphous silicon, but as performance demands increased, the industry turned to AOS, a now proven material for commercialized display technologies with superior electron transport capabilities. Allemang has made contributions in AOS devices, materials, and processes for new applications of thin-film electronics, including monolithic 3D integration on Si CMOS to continue Moore’s law, add new functionality, and improve performance.

Allemang is advised by Prof. Becky Peterson. He currently serves on the Lurie Nanofabrication Lab’s User Committee and has previously served on the College of Engineering’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Student Advisory Board and the college’s Curriculum Committee.

“My goal is to promote student camaraderie and to create a more inclusive place for all students to live, learn, and grow,” Allemang says.

To foster STEM in underrepresented groups, Allemang has assisted with ECE’s Electrify-Sense It Summer Camps where high school students work on small team projects focused on programming, microcontrollers, and wireless sensing.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Allemang has enjoyed going outside for walks with his dog and playing virtual board games with his friends. When not in a pandemic, he enjoys playing flag football in a Detroit LGBT league. The league’s travel team Allemang plays on won first place in their division at Chicago’s 2019 Pride Bowl. He also serves as a moderator for an online automotive forum and is active in politics as a poll worker and volunteer.

Prior to coming to the University of Michigan, he earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Florida where he was an undergraduate researcher and Chair of the IEEE Student Branch.