Kofi Oware Sarfo

Key Responsibilities

• Inspect and assess potential risks associated with incoming chemistries used in semiconductor processing Fab.
• Data analysis to determine failure modes and root cause of material related issues using 8-D problem solving methodology
• Deploying strategies to reduce risk of deviations in production quality.
• Undertaken multiple projects which have harden manufacturing defense against risk of material contamination on product wafers
• Interfacing with raw material suppliers to drive material quality improvements through statistical process control(SPC) monitoring
• Using SPC daily to monitor performance of elemental parameters in raw material chemistries for semiconductor processing fab.
• Performed failure analysis on manufacturing defects, impact damage defects and material defects problems and recommended corrective actions

Key Achievements

• Collaborated with manufacturing process engineers to help source and find root cause material defects from material related issues
• Developed processes to enhance early detection of chemical contaminants and raw material properties that could cause failure in product wafers
• Worked with raw material suppliers to set up and deploy engineering control limits reduce variations in processes to ensure process and product stability via data analysis

Key Responsibilities

• Taught chemical reactor design and kinetic modeling to undergraduate students using MatLab.
• Managed a class of 143 senior students dealing with academic and non-academic issues that came up during the term.
• Provided leadership, inspiration, and guidance for an instruction team of teaching and learning assistants.

Key Achievements

• Mentored several students into their final years of undergraduate degree.
• Inspired some students to pursue further studies in Chemical Engineering

Key Responsibilities

Surface Science and Corrosion Research Group

• Used first principle calculations to determine mechanisms for breakdown of passive layer leading to stainless steel corrosion
• Determined effects of oxide supports on metal catalysts at the interface using density functional theory(DFT) and high-resolution Transmission electron spectroscopy

Key Achievements

Authored the following publication journals during this period:

• P. Murkute,K. Oware Sarfo,I. McGieson , Y. Zhang, J. Tucker and L. Árnadóttir, O. B. Isgor , Effect of thermal aging on corrosion behavior of duplex stainless steels. . SN Appl. Sci. 4, 97 (2022). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-022-04978-1
• A.L. Clauser; K. Oware Sarfo; Raquel Giulian; Colin Ophus; Jim Ciston; L. Árnadóttir; M.K. Santala, Characterization of the atomic-level structure of γ-alumina and (111) Pt/γ-alumina interfaces, Acta Materialia, Volume 245,(2023), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2022.118609.
• Kofi Oware Sarfo, O. Burkan Isgor, Melissa K. Santala, Julie D. Tucker and Líney Árnadóttir, Bulk Diffusion of Cl through O vacancies in a-Cr2O3: a density functional theory study, Journal of Electrochemical Society, 2021, 168, 7, 071503 DOI:
• 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.148594
• K. Oware Sarfo, A. L. Clauser, M.K. Santala, L. Árnadóttir.,On the atomic structure of Pt(111)/γ-Al2O3(111) interfaces and the changes in their interfacial energy with temperature and oxygen pressure. Applied Surface Science,148594 (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2020.148594
• K. Oware Sarfo, P. Murkute, O. B. Isgor, Y. Zhang, J. Tucker and L. Árnadóttir, Density Functional Theory Study of the Initial Stages of Cl-Induced Degradation of α-Cr2O3 Passive Film. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 167, 121508 (2020). DOI: 10.1149/1945-7111/abb381
• Clauser A. L., K. Oware Sarfo, L. Árnadóttir, M.K. Santala, Orientation and morphology of Pt nanoparticles in γ-alumina processed via ion implantation and thermal annealing. Scripta Materiala Volume 188, (2020),Pages 44-49. DOI: 10.1016/j.scriptamat.2020.06.058

• Completed research, compiled data, updated spreadsheets, and produced timely reports for Degradation mechanisms of stainless steel corrosion with respect o light water reactor
• Determined the initial stages of the mechanism to predict chloride-induced degradation of passive film on stainless steel alloy using density functional theory
• Gathered, arranged, and corrected research data to create representative graphs and charts highlighting results for presentations at the National Lab Expo, and electrochemical conferences
• Attended meetings and presentations to learn project details.
• Selected research tools and methods to access and analyze required data.