J. Alexander Liddle: Metrology at the nanoscale key to understanding of next generation lithography processes

J. Alexander Liddle is the Acting Deputy Director for CNST and the Group Leader of the CNST Nanofabrication Research Group.

Liddle received his BA and DPhil degrees in Materials Science from the University of Oxford in 1986 and 1989 respectively. He spent the next decade at Bell Laboratories, where his primary efforts were directed towards the research, development and eventual commercialization of a novel electron-beam lithography technology.

He subsequently became the leader of an optical telecommunications MEMS group before moving to Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. There, he led the nanofabrication group in the Center for X-ray optics, before becoming Lead Scientist of the Molecular Foundry nanofabrication user facility, where he was involved in research ranging from quantum computation to guided self-assembly. In 2006 he moved to NIST, where he is now a Senior Scientist and leader of the Nanofabrication Research Group in the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology.

He has been acting Deputy Director of the Center for the past two years. He has published over 250 papers in areas ranging from electron-beam lithography to DNA-controlled nanoparticle assembly and is a fellow of the APS and the Washington Academy of Science.

Liddle's research at NIST focuses on nanofabrication and self-assembly for nanomanufacturing. He holds 16 U.S. patents and has over 250 publications, including several in high-profile journals such as Nature and Nano Letters. Liddle has also helped organize a number of international conferences and workshops on nanofabrication and self-assembly.