this opportunity.

Aliaksandr “Sasha” Sharstniou patented a scalable fabrication process while at ASU — and now works at Intel

Story by MONIQUE CLEMENT, Photography by ERIKA GRONEK

You never know where you will end up.”

As a materials science undergraduate in Belarus,

Aliaksandr “Sasha” Sharstniou liked physics, chemistry and making things with his hands. Bored with an extensive lesson on old bipolar transistors in one of his laboratory classes, he spoke up about wanting to move on and talk about newer, more advanced semiconductor technologies.

His lab instructor there said, “It’s not like you’re going to be working at Intel.”

Ten years later, that’s exactly where he is. Sharstniou, ’22 PhD in materials science and engineering, has started a position as a nanoimprinting, or Mac-Imprint. Sharstniou’s innovative technique, for which he holds a U.S. patent, could contribute to industrial advances in semiconductor manufacturing processes in the next five or 10 years.

Bruno Azeredo, assistant professor of manufacturing engineering and Sharstniou’s doctoral advisor for more than five years, says Sharstniou’s work is helping to overcome a major hurdle in the semiconductor industry’s quest to develop microelectronics that use optics, or signals made of light, instead of electrical signals.

“Miniaturizing fiber optics structuring and scalability that are so relevant.”

A difficult start

Raised by a single mother and his grandparents in Vitebsk, Belarus, Sharstniou and his family struggled financially.

“My mom is a doctor, but in Belarus, doctors are not paid very well, so she had to work several shifts to make a living,” Sharstniou says. “Now I realize how much she was doing to make things work and I was lucky to have what I had back then.” Sharstniou had books on physics and chemistry, and later, a computer and dial-up internet.