SEMICONDUCTOR R&D · GENEVA, NY

Matthew Hartensveld, PhD

I take semiconductor devices from physics simulation to fabricated, characterized hardware - III-nitride micro-LEDs, transistors, and nanosheet HEMTs - including in a Class 100 cleanroom I designed and built in my backyard.

Founder, NanoTech Strategies·CTO, Innovation Semiconductor·Creator, Dr.Semiconductor
WAFER MAP · LOT MH-2026 · GENEVA, NY
12+
PATENTS PROSECUTED
18+
PEER-REVIEWED PAPERS
CLASS 100
CLEANROOM, SELF-BUILT
100K+
YOUTUBE SUBSCRIBERS
COVERAGE HACKADAY TOM'S HARDWARE PC GAMER TECHSPOT ADAFRUIT
LAYER 01 · MESA

About

I hold B.S. (microelectronic engineering), M.S. (materials science and engineering), and Ph.D. (microsystems engineering) degrees from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where my research focused on nanostructured III-nitride devices - from vertical GaN nanowire transistors to color-tunable InGaN LEDs.

Today I work across the full stack of semiconductor R&D: device physics and TCAD simulation, mask design, epitaxy and process development, fabrication, and electrical/optical characterization. As CTO and co-founder of Innovation Semiconductor, I pioneered monolithic GaN LED-FET technology for micro-LED displays and optical interconnects. Through NanoTech Strategies, my independent R&D company, I pursue government-funded research in gate-all-around nanosheet HEMTs and far-forward semiconductor manufacturing for defense applications.

What sets my work apart is that I don't just simulate or design - I build. The cleanroom in my backyard shed runs a full process line of tools I restored, modified, or built from scratch, and it has produced working DRAM cells, MOSFETs, and GaN Schottky diodes. A few million people have watched that happen on the Dr.Semiconductor channel.

LOCATIONGeneva, NY, USA
DEGREESB.S. / M.S. / Ph.D. - RIT
FOCUSIII-nitrides · GaN · μLED
DEVICESHEMTs · LEDs · LED-FETs
RECOGNITIONSEMI 20 Under 30 ('23)
PROCESS NODESub-μm, in a shed
LAYER 02 · ACTIVE

What I'm working on

Three parallel tracks, one theme: making advanced semiconductor devices in unconventional places.

FOUNDER · NANOTECH STRATEGIES

Independent R&D

Semiconductor research out of a self-built Class 100 cleanroom: III-nitride GAA nanosheet HEMTs, GaN Schottky radiological detectors, and far-forward CBRN sensor manufacturing for defense - through SBIR programs and government and industry partnerships.

nanotechstrategies.com →
CTO & CO-FOUNDER · INNOVATION SEMICONDUCTOR

Micro-LED technology

Monolithic GaN LED-FETs and isolated-cathode micro-LED architectures enabling push-pull drivers for displays and data-center optical interconnects, plus color-tunable InGaN LEDs - all compatible with existing semiconductor infrastructure.

Patents & publications →
CREATOR · DR.SEMICONDUCTOR

Chips, on camera

A YouTube channel documenting real semiconductor fabrication at home - building the cleanroom, fabricating DRAM, and tearing down the processes the industry usually keeps behind closed doors. 100K+ subscribers and counting.

Watch on YouTube →
LAYER 03 · METAL

Résumé highlights

EXPERIENCE

Founder - NanoTech Strategies LLC
2020 - PRESENT · INDEPENDENT SEMICONDUCTOR R&D
CTO & Co-Founder - Innovation Semiconductor
2019 - PRESENT · GaN MICRO-LED TECHNOLOGY
Research Assistant - RIT
2018 - 2021 · VERTICAL GaN NANOWIRE TRANSISTORS
Intern - Texas Instruments / Northrop Grumman ATL
2015 - 2017 · BiCMOS · SiC · GaN PROCESSING

EDUCATION

Ph.D., Microsystems Engineering - RIT
2021 · NANOSTRUCTURED III-NITRIDE LEDs FOR DISPLAYS
M.S., Materials Science & Engineering - RIT
2018 · HIGH ASPECT RATIO GaN NANOWIRE ETCHING
B.S., Microelectronic Engineering - RIT
2018 · 30 nm GATE VERTICAL GaN NANOWIRE FET
LAYER 04 · PASSIVATION

Project archive

The build logs behind the home lab, 2020–2024 - tools restored, modified, and built from scratch. Preserved here for reference; new work lives on the channel.

LAYER 05 · PAD

Make contact

The pad layer is where you make contact. Whether it's collaboration on III-nitride devices, SBIR partnerships, consulting through NanoTech Strategies, or the YouTube channel - reach out.