The last word … today goes to Dr. Mohammad Hejjo Al Rifai from Fraunhofer ISIT

© Fraunhofer ISIT, Itzehoe
Dr. Mohammad Hejjo Al Rifai.
© Fraunhofer ISIT, Itzehoe
Dr. Mohammad Hejjo Al Rifai manages the activities in the cleanroom of Fraunhofer ISIT.

Dr. Al Rifai, what fascinates you most about microelectronics?

What fascinates me above all is working with the small structures and different materials through which we create products that change the world.

Which project are you currently working on?

I am currently working for the Research Fab Microelectronics Germany (FMD). This is a great challenge, as we are developing and processing new components together with other institutes. I find the exchange of experience between the institutes very important. It is a completely new form of cooperation at Fraunhofer.

Which topic being investigated by colleagues from another Fraunhofer institute do you find particularly exciting?

In the past, I have worked intensively on the development and optimization of silicon solar cells and solar modules. For this reason, I find the projects at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg particularly exciting.

What invention would you not like to do without in daily life?

I can barely imagine a life without a smartphone, Internet, or online portals – for example when it comes to shopping or booking a trip. All these things have made life much easier and more pleasant and I wouldn’t want to do without them.

Let’s look into the future. What would you like to have achieved in five or ten years’ time?

I have been working at the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT since 2017 and I manage the institute’s activities in the cleanroom. I enjoy my job very much and I am looking forward to the challenges that will arise. Here, we have many opportunities to develop new processes and technologies. I'm sure ten years from now I still won't be bored here.

If you could meet someone well known – from either the past or present – who would it be and why?

William Bradford Shockley. He changed the world lastingly by discovering the transistor effect.

What do you wish you had more time for?

I used to program regularly. I don't have time for that today. Sports like running and swimming also always seem to fall by the wayside.

What song belongs to the “soundtrack” of your life?

There's several, I'll name two: Johnny Cash’s “You Are My Sunshine” and Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life.”

Last, but not least: Can you tell us what motto you live by?

The future depends on what you do today.

 

 

About Dr. Mohammad Hejjo Al Rifai:

Dr. Mohammad Hejjo Al Rifai studied physics at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Aleppo University (Syria) and graduated with a master's degree in 1991. He then worked there as a scientist for four years. Dr. Al Rifai came to Germany in 1995 and received his doctorate in materials science from the Technical Faculty of the Christian Albrecht University in Kiel. He dealt in particular with silicon semiconductor technology and the development of solar cells. He then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle. Since 2004, Dr. Al Rifai held executive positions with many companies including Infineon, Qimonda, Centrosolar, OSRAM, and Continental, before joining Fraunhofer ISIT in 2017.

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