Tuomo Suntola

PhD in Electron Physics (1971)

Tuomo Suntola, PhD in Electron Physics (1971), has had a far-reaching academic and industrial career, ranging from pioneering theoretical work to successful industrial applications. He is the father of the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) technology, an enabling technology for the production of nanoscale semiconductor devices. Alongside his industrial research, he sought a holistic view of the physical reality — which crystalized in the mid-1990s into the Dynamic Universe approach. This allows the universe to be studied as a dynamic energy system, with the energies of gravitation and motion in balance.

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Tuomo Suntola received his MSc (1967) and Ph.D. (1971) in Electron Physics from the Electrical Engineering Department at the Helsinki University of Technology. He entered the field of materials science and thin film technologies by solving the mystery of the nanosecond switching mechanism in “Ovonic” thin film devices as his doctoral dissertation in the late 1960s. His first industrial project was the “Humicap®” thin film humidity sensor for Vaisala Oy (1973), which, almost 50 years later, is still a global leader in humidity sensing, and has been used, for example, in NASA’s Mars landers. Suntola was invited to join Instrumentarium Oy, where in 1974 he introduced the Atomic Layer Epitaxy (ALE) process, which, following its development for production purposes, became the leading technology for electroluminescent flat panel displays. Following further development at Microchemistry Ltd, the ALE technology and machinery were deemed to meet the requirements for advanced semiconductor processing. The technology was renamed Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), and has since been integrated into IC manufacturing, enabling extreme conformality and the controlled processing of ultra-thin material layers of a few atomic layers.

Suntola’s career as a technologist yielded numerous important patents, vital industrial applications, and substantial body of scientific literature. His technological impact has been complemented by contributions to the field of photovoltaic devices and insightful analyses of global energy challenges. Since his days as a graduate student, Suntola has been concerned with the foundations of physics, the theoretical structures that underpin it, and the underlying picture of reality. In the 1990s, this thinking materialized into the Dynamic Universe model, which, after 25 years of maturation and testing, is documented in the book The Dynamic Universe – Toward a Unified Picture of Physical Reality.

Education, employments

• Helsinki University of Technology, Electrical Engineering Department / Electron physics laboratory

  M.Sc. (1967), Ph.D. (1971)

• State Research Centre, VTT, Scientist (1968–1973)

  Development of Humicap humidity sensor for Vaisala Oy (1971–1973)

• Instrumentarium Oy, Chief Scientist (1974–1978)

  Development of Atomic Layer Epitaxy, ALE (Atomic Layer Deposition, ALD) for manufacturing of electroluminescent thin film displays.

• Lohja Corporation, Director of Display Division/Chief Scientist (1978–1987)

  Development of Atomic Layer Epitaxy, ALE (Atomic Layer Deposition, ALD) for manufacturing of electroluminescent thin film displays

• Microchemistry Ltd, subsidiary of Neste/Fortum Corporation, Managing director (1987–1997)

  Development of solar cell technologies
  Extension of the use of Atomic Layer Deposition to the manufacturing of heterogeneous catalysts
  Development of the ALD technology and equipment for semiconductor applications

• Fortum Corporation, R&D Fellow, (1997–2004)

  Renewablele energy technologies, retired 2004

Nominations, memberships

• Docent at Physics Department of Tampere University, 1975–, Lectures on semiconductor physics (1972–78)
• Member of the Finnish Academy of Technology, TTA, 1983– / Board member 1988–93.
• Member in the World Energy Council (WEC), Working group "Energy Technologies for the 21st century" 2003–2004
• Member of the Board of Directors, Picosun Oy, 2004–2022
• Chairman of the Finnish Society for Natural Philosophy, 2015–2017 (board member 2007–2010, 2014)
• Chairman of the Physics Foundations Society, 2008–
• Foreign member of the Cosmological Section of the Czech Astronomical Society, 2024–

Honors and awards

• Award for Invention of Humidity Sensor, The Foundation of Finnish Inventions, 1978
• Award for Electroluminescent Display Technology, The Association of Finnish Electric and Electronics Industries, SETELI, 1980
• Outstanding Paper Award for Atomic Layer Epitaxy for Producing EL Thin Films, The Society for Information Displays (SID), USA, 1980
• Honorary Award for The Development of Manufacturing Technology for Electroluminescent Display Devices, The Foundation of Technology in Finland, 1981
• The Finnish Engineering Achievement Award 1985 for Electroluminescent Display Technology, Engineering Society in Finland, 1985
• Order of the Lion of Finland – Knight 1st Class, 2001
• European SEMI Award 2004, “Honoring the Pioneer in Atomic Layer Deposition Techniques … that paved the way for the development of nanoscale semiconductor devices”, Semicon Europe 2004, Munich.
• Millennium Technology Prize 2018, Technology Academy Finland (TAF)

2018 Millennium Technology Prize

The Technology Academy Finland (TAF) has awarded the biennial Millennium Technology Prize, worth one million euros, to Dr. Tuomo Suntola. The prize was awarded in recognition of Dr. Suntola’s pioneering innovation in atomic layer deposition (ALD), a nanoscale technology that is now used worldwide. ALD is used to manufacture ultra-thin material layers for microprocessors and digital memory devices. The technology enables the construction of complex, three-dimensional structures one atomic layer at a time.

Picture: On 22 May 2018, the President of the Republic of Finland, Mr. Sauli Niinistö, presented the eighth Millennium Technology Prize to Dr. Tuomo Suntola in Helsinki.