Dr. Sean Barry, Department of Chemistry
Eureka! Faculty Spotlight
The Science Behind Smarter Devices
From iPhones to laptops and emerging tech that hasn’t hit the market yet, modern electronics rely on tiny components working seamlessly together. At Carleton, Dr. Sean Barry is tackling some of the most technical questions in microelectronics manufacturing: how do metals form, move, and behave at extremely small sizes? In a field dominated by engineers, there are fewer than ten chemists worldwide in this specialized area, putting Dr. Barry at the forefront of his field.
A professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry, Dr. Barry was awarded a prestigious NSERC Discovery Grant in 2025 for his work in area-selective deposition: a method that allows metal to be placed only where it is needed, even on surfaces just 20 atoms wide.
Tackling Fundamental Questions at Nanoscale
Dr. Barry’s research focuses on how gases and solids interact. While the question may seem fundamental for most chemists, his work focuses on how to apply it specifically to semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics.
Microelectronics devices are made of tiny components that are measured in nanometres, and more recently, in even smaller units. In the same way toasters and light switches are wired, all components must be connected in microelectronics, but at a scale billions of times smaller. Dr. Barry’s work focuses on the metals used to make these connections.
Up until the late 1990s, this type of research used aluminum. When aluminum became problematic, copper became the metal of choice. As devices became smaller, copper revealed new limitations. Dr. Barry and researchers then began trying to replace it with metals like tungsten, cobalt, or ruthenium. The ultimate goal is to improve wiring in microelectronic devices to be smaller, faster and more energy efficient.
Chemistry Meets Manufacturing
Dr. Barry’s research group works closely with industry partners, including major semiconductor manufacturers, to solve real-world problems and meet collaborators’ demands.
In the lab, his research group designs complex molecules that carry metals like cobalt into a gas phase to deposit them carefully onto surfaces like silicon.
“That chemistry is pretty tricky to do,” he says. Barry explains it’s not uncommon for his team to have projects running on eight or ten metals at one time.
While Dr. Barry’s industry partners are focused on performance, he is equally interested in the science. “The important question is why it’s forming,” he says. “How does that work, and can we explore what we learned to control it better?”
Advice for Future Scientists
For students considering a career in science, Dr. Barry emphasizes fundamentals and patience.
“The easiest way to solve a problem is to break it down into bite-sized pieces and work on each one,” he explains. “You don’t wash dishes all at once. You wash dishes one at a time.”
He encourages science students at all levels to build strong foundations to maximize comprehension and, above all else, stresses that science is collaborative.
“No single person is successful,” he says. “A research group is successful. My own success is based on a dozen other people’s success. Luckily, I have world-class talent surrounding me at Carleton.”
Thinking About a Future in Chemistry?
Chemistry is all around us. If you’re interested in examining the processes that produce our food, clothes, medicine and hundreds of materials humans use every day, learn more about chemistry at Carleton.
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