Meet Oleg Kononchuk, Winner of the 2024 Top Inventor Award

Oleg KONONCHUK, Soitec Fellow, is an expert with over 40 years of experience in the semiconductor industry. After studying at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in the Soviet Union, he earned a Ph.D. in semiconductor defects. He then worked both in academia, notably as a visiting scientist at the University of North Carolina, and in the semiconductor industry at SEH.

Over the years, he has contributed to the development of wafer insulation technologies from crystals, playing a key role in major innovations. He joined Soitec nearly 20 years ago, where he currently holds the position of Soitec Fellow, focusing on new technologies and initiating projects to improve products and processes.

What is your current role at Soitec?
My daily routine is driven by constant technological and scientific monitoring. I search for promising technologies and, when I find them, I set up projects to test and develop these new approaches. I then collaborate with the innovation team to integrate these technologies into our processes, while addressing complex technical problems that may arise, whether in innovation or production. For example, I have worked on technologies like RFSOI and FDSOI, ensuring that everything operates efficiently in our processes.

What motivates you in your work?
What motivates me is knowing that I am contributing to tangible and useful solutions that improve processes and solve technical problems. It’s very satisfying to work on technologies that not only add value to our products but also have a positive impact on our customers and society.

What are the essential skills needed to succeed in your field?
It’s important to have dual expertise: academic and industrial. My academic experience has helped me understand the physical fundamentals of problems, while industrial experience is crucial for applying this understanding to concrete solutions tailored to production needs.

What makes you proud of your work and being part of Soitec?
I am proud of my journey at Soitec, which has lasted almost 20 years. Over the years, we have accomplished many successful projects, including the development of advanced technologies in specific metrology and device production.

What accomplishment are you particularly proud of?
One of my greatest achievements at Soitec has been the implementation of a specific process, which has evolved significantly. In its early stages, the process could only provide 30 wafers per run. Today, after many years of work and development, we have reached a capacity of 150 wafers per run. This project was made possible thanks to the application of physical models developed at Soitec for the involved processes.

What advice would you give to young people wishing to start their career in the industry?
I would tell them to use all their knowledge and curiosity to get to the heart of the problems. It is essential to understand the underlying physical phenomena to grasp the nature of the problem and find sustainable solutions. It’s not about quickly fixing an issue, but providing solid and thoughtful answers that move the industry forward