Alan G. MacDiarmid NanoTech Institute

Lawrence Overzet was born in the suburbs of Chicago and grew up as part of a close-knit, American-Dutch sub-culture.. He has been a Christian as far back as his memory reaches.  In 1983, he earned a BSEE from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), graduating with several awards including the Bronze Tablet (Summa Cum Laude) with high honors.  He continued at UIUC and earned the MSEE in 1986 and the Ph.D .in Electrical Engineering in 1988.  

He became an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) in late 1988 when the engineering program was just 2 years old.  He became one of the first electrical engineering faculty members at UTD to receive the National Science Foundation Young Investigator award in 1992.  In 1994, he became an Associate Professor with tenure, and in 2000 he became a Professor of Electrical Engineering, a position he currently holds. More importantly, he is the father of four children who, together with his wife, help him to remember that work has its limits. 

Dr. Overzet is a long time member of the American Vacuum Society, senior member of the IEEE and is a Registered Professional Engineer. He was the secretary for the Plasma Science & Technology Division of the American Vacuum Society (2001 – 2005).  His research interests are varied but have primarily revolved around the study of plasmas used in making semiconductor devices. He is an experimentalist. In particular, his group has developed plasma diagnostics for semiconductor processing discharges, has developed, patented and licensed a high-density plasma source and a balanced-charge approach to plasma processing using ion-ion plasma.  He has significant experience in determining plasma kinetics and does a considerable amount of research for industrial partners. 

Dr. Overzet has taught over ten different courses at UTD covering a broad range of topics from the theory of operation of electronic devices to how to fabricate those devices (processing technology); from electromagnetic fields and waves to plasma science and technology. He loves to teach and is especially encouraged when past students contact him about their successes and struggles.  

Selected Publications

Effects of oxygen plasma on optical and electrical characteristics of multiwall carbon nanotubes grown on a four-probe patterned Fe layer.J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 2005 23, 1013-7. Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology 2005 11 (21).

Chlorine Plasma and Polysilicon Etch Characterization in an Inductively Coupled Plasma Etch Reactor . M. Khater and L. Overzet. Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13, 466–483 (2004).

Investigation and Modeling of Plasma-Wall Interactions in Inductively Coupled Fluorocarbon Plasmas . E. Joseph, B. Zhou, S. Sant, L. Overzet and M. Goeckner. J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 22, 689-697 (2004).

The Effects on Plasma Properties of a Current Node on Inductively Coupled Plasma Sources . S. Srinivasan, J. Marquis, L. Pratti, M. Khater, M. Goeckner and L. Overzet. Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 12, 432-442 (2003).