Lit Thinking Team

Dr. Shashwat Rathkanthiwar

Director, MOCVD Research

Dr. Shashwat Rathkanthiwar is a seasoned material scientist and prolific researcher with over a decade of expertise in III-nitride semiconductors. His groundbreaking approach integrates semiconductor materials science, physics and electronics, envisioning revolutionary advancements in electronic, optical, quantum, and critical device technologies.

Dr. Rathkanthiwar will spearhead the research on Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) of ultrawide bandgap nitride semiconductors, enabling far-ultraviolet optoelectronics and kV-class power electronics.

Dr. Rathkanthiwar earned his undergraduate degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India, shifting gears to Nano Science and Engineering for his doctorate at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, where his thesis focused on III-nitride ultraviolet photodetectors. His postdoctoral tenure at North Carolina State University’s WideBandgaps Laboratory honed his expertise in epitaxially grown nitride semiconductors on native substrates, addressing doping, point defect management, and strain relaxation.

With 31 journal publications, 80 international conference presentations, 1 patent, and over 15 invited talks, Dr. Rathkanthiwar’s contributions have garnered Editor’s Pick selections in Applied Physics Letters, alongside numerous awards and recognitions for research excellence, including Best Oral and Poster Presentations. Dr. Rathkanthiwar serves as an independent reviewer for 14 major journals and also chairs technical sessions at esteemed conferences such as American Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy, Compound Semiconductor Week, Electronic Materials Conference, and Materials Research Society Meeting.