Congratulations to Dr. Jeremy Mettler for his PhD!

On Wednesday March 5, 2025, Jeremy Mettler held his final doctor defense in front of more than 30 people! Dr. Mettler’s thesis was titled “On the Development and Application of Etching-Based Fluorine Radical Probes”. In this PhD thesis, Jeremy investigates the critical role of fluorine chemistry in high aspect ratio silicon etching, a key process […]

IPI and CPMI teams at the 70th Annual AVS Conference

The teams from the Illinois Plasma Institute and CPMI, including professors David Ruzic and Dren Qerimi, and graduate students Jeremy Mettler, Tag Choi, Emily Greene, Parker Hays, Nick Connolly, and Zachary Jackell had the privilege of presenting their latest research at the 70th Annual American Vacuum Society Conference in Tampa, Florida. Held from November 3rd […]

After 40 years of service to NPRE and Illinois, Prof. David Ruzic has retired from teaching, but his passion for research and mentorship is as strong as ever.

“The first time I met Dave was in 2008 when I interviewed for a position at UIUC (which I didn’t get, but that’s for another story). Before that, I only knew that he works on plasma/fusion, and nothing else. When we met, it was quickly apparent I was standing in front of a charismatic, enthusiastic, […]

Jeremy Mettler, NPRE/IPI graduate student successfully defended his preliminary exam.

Jeremy Jacob Harry Mettler, a Ph.D. candidate at NPRE/IPI, has successfully passed the preliminary exam on his research on etching-based fluorine radical probes. Mettler’s work focuses on developing and applying novel radical probe designs to achieve spatially resolved measurements of fluorine density in plasma systems, a critical factor in reactive ion etching (RIE) processes. His […]

Christian Williams, a graduate student at IPI, successfully defended his preliminary exam today!

Illinois Plasma Institute graduate student Christian Williams successfully defended his preliminary exam titled “Plasma-Activated Liquids with Applications to the Semiconductor Industry using the Integrated circuit Manufacturing with Plasma Activated Chemical Treatment (IMPACT) Tool.” This work investigates the potential of atmospheric plasma treatment of a liquid (TMAH) used in semiconductor manufacturing for etching and lithography processes. […]

Earn your Master of Engineering in Plasma Engineering

A focused degree that equips you to lead in semiconductor manufacturing, industrial plasmas, nuclear fusion, and more. Finding solutions to current and future processing challenges requires a mastery of the core concepts of plasma engineering as well as topical depth in a professional focus area.  The M.Eng. in Plasma Engineering is a professionally-oriented masterʼs degree from The […]

Illinois Plasma Institute is featured in The Grainger College of Engineering’s biannual magazine.

NPRE professor David Ruzic and his Illinois Plasma Institute have been featured in the Fall 2023 issue of Limitless, The Grainger College of Engineering‘s biannual magazine. In the article, Ruzic talks about IPI’s mission to “rethink existing pathways to commercialization of new technologies developed in academic research settings.” Read the story here: https://grainger.illinois.edu/…/illinois-plasma-institute