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The Atomically Controlled Materials Engineering (ACME) research group at Aalto University hosted M-ERA.NET-funded collaborators Boris Hudec from the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia, and Simone Santucci from ATLANT 3D Nanosystems, Denmark. During their visit, the collaborators presented recent research and development activities related to Direct Atomic Layer Processing (DALP®), highlighting its potential for advanced thin film materials research and device applications.

Simone Santucci presented a talk titled Fast Combinatorial Screening of Al-Doped ZnO Thin Films Using Direct Atomic Layer Processing (DALP®). The presentation focused on the use of DALP® for rapid combinatorial screening of doped thin film materials, using Al-doped ZnO (AZO) as a case study. By enabling precise spatial and compositional control, DALP® allowed the fabrication of 81 distinct AZO compositions in a single experimental run, demonstrating its potential as a powerful platform for accelerated materials discovery and thin film optimization.

Boris Hudec presented a talk titled Bottom-up Approach Towards Neuromorphic Gas Sensing. His presentation discussed the development of smart hydrogen gas sensors based on TiO₂ thin films prepared by atomic layer deposition and DALP®. The work connects thin film materials, sensor technologies, and neuromorphic systems, where sensing and signal processing can be integrated directly within hardware neural networks.

The visit provided an opportunity for scientific exchange, networking, and discussions on future collaboration within the M-ERA.NET project. The topics presented are closely aligned with ACME’s research interests in atomic layer deposition, thin films, interface engineering, and functional materials for energy and emerging technologies.