Douglas A. Buchanan

Douglas A. Buchanan, Ph.D., P.Eng., FCAE, is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Manitoba and a founding member of the Microelectronics and Nanotechnology Research Group. A Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Microelectronic Materials from 2003-2013, he also served as Acting Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (2010-11) and Vice-President Commercialization at Innovate Manitoba (2012-14). His career combines 16 years at IBM Watson Research Center with two decades of academic leadership in Winnipeg.

Education

• Ph.D. in Applied Physics & Electronics, University of Durham, U.K., 1986
• M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, University of Manitoba, 1982
• B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, University of Manitoba, 1981

Research Interests

Prof. Buchanan’s work spans nano-scale CMOS gate dielectrics, high-κ metal oxides (HfO₂, ZrO₂, Al₂O₃), defect chemistry, quantum tunnelling, and dielectric reliability. Since 2010 his group has pioneered MEMS capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs) with multiple moving membranes for low-frequency, air-coupled imaging and NDT, as well as floating-gate MOS chemosensors functionalized with conducting polymers for olfactory applications.

His publications reveal two dominant waves: the 1990s-2000s focus on ultra-thin SiO₂/high-κ stacks and the ITRS gate-stack roadmap, followed by a 2010s-2020s surge in CMUT design, anemometry, and polymer-based sensor arrays, demonstrating continuous adaptation from fundamental materials physics to applied micro-systems.

Honours & Awards

• University of Manitoba Students’ Teacher Recognition Award – 2007
• IBM Research Division Award – 1988
• IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award – 1992
• IBM Microelectronics Division General Manager’s Teamwork Award – 1997
• Fellow, Canadian Academy of Engineering
• Senior Member, IEEE

Professional Service & Grants

He co-founded SEMATECH’s Gate Stack Engineering Working Group (1992-2000) that authored the ITRS gate-stack roadmap, co-chaired multiple MRS and IEEE Semiconductor Interface Specialists Conferences, and edited special issues of IBM J. Res. Dev. and MRS Proceedings on ultra-thin dielectrics. Grant support has included NSERC Canada Research Chair, CFI, and industrial partnerships with IBM, SEMATECH, and Manitoba HVDC Research Centre.

Labs & Teams

He leads the Microelectronics & Nanotechnology Research Laboratory within the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Engineering, supervising graduate researchers in clean-room micro-fabrication, electrical characterization, and MEMS prototyping for ultrasound and chemical sensing systems.