Megatrends at the Molecular Level

Whether or not you’re a techy, CES, the huge consumer electronics show is mind-blowing.

Each year the technology and products designed to fix, help, and augment humans in astonishing ways dial us closer and closer to eleven. Megatrends such as artificial intelligence, big data, autonomous vehicles, and machine learning were on obvious display at CES, but I was curious to know more about some of the ingredients that make these things possible…at a molecular level.

I was excited to attend CES as a sponsor of EMD Performance Materials, a business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. As a curiosity-driven 350-year old company, they are at the forefront of researching the role of curiosity in the workplace. Given that applied curiosity in the workplace is our core business, Applied Curiosity Lab enjoys being a part of their #AlwaysCurious initiative.

With the help of EMD Performance Materials friends Dongkwan Lee, Andreas Schwab, James Haley, and a lovely cameo by Luiz Vieira, we created a brown beverage experiment on the floor of CES to explain how one of EMD’s semiconductor solutions – directed self assembly – works. The experiment was a bit of a bust (and someone had to drink the materials), but the value of ingredients at the molecular level became crystal clear.

Scroll down to watch our famous video because it’s fun to see how nanotechnology is truly fascinating!

Among EMD’s innovative technologies…

…are the ingredients they provide to the semiconductor industry. Their specialty chemicals (the original special sauce) has allowed the semiconductor industry to develop microchips with smaller structures, larger memory banks, higher processing capacity, and lower power consumption.

What does this mean?

It means that we get products that will advance our human performance in ways we have yet to dream of.

How do they do it?

Curiosity. Curiosity that leads to innovation.

Kai Beckmann, Board Member and CEO of Performance Materials explained, “We have always taken great joy in finding the answers to difficult questions. And our curious mindset has continuously guided our way…

…be it medicines to cure diseases or performance materials that are the main component of digital and mobile gadgets. To put discoveries into practice and to drive technological, environmental and social progress is only possible if we stay curious.”

And they get molecules to do their bidding.

In the case of Directed Self-Assembly technology, they get molecules to do their bidding. This provides a solution that enables chip scaling…like 3D NAND. 3D NAND is a type of memory chip where memory cells are stacked in multiple layers…3D.

Why should you care?

You like cool tech products? This technology will give us products that have more reliable storage in smaller form factors…smart products with incredible abilities…products that are faster, smaller, and suck up less power.

Curious questions can always be relied on to turn the complex and complicated into the understandable…and it’s often made easier by a trip to a bar. Directed Self-Assembly technology was no different.

Megatrends always occur at a molecular level. Check out our brown beverage experiment in this video.

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWjhfXKvWH0[/embedyt]

Too impatient to listen through my 2-minute explanation? Feel free to skip ahead to our beer experiment on the floor of CES.