Israeli-based display inspection developer InZiv has recently expanded its management team, as the company reports increased interest in its microLED inspection systems. Dr. Tali Hurvitz has joined InZiv as its new R&D manager, bringing with her years of experience in the flat panel display industry and in the technology sector in general.
Dr. Tali Hurvitz earned her BSc, MSc, and PhD from Tel Aviv University, where she focused on physics and materials science. She has held significant positions, including her latest role as the Head of the Physics, Materials, and Innovation group at KLA, and has previously worked in various capacities within the technology sector. Dr. Tali will now lead InZiv’s R&D as the company matures and expands its solution portfolio.
Hello Dr. Tali, we first of all want to wish you the best of luck at InZiv. What drew you initially to the field of physics and materials science?
As long as I remember myself, I preferred technical toys (like LEGO) to social ones (like dolls…). When in middle school I was directed to participate in cooking classes, while the boys went to study electronics - I rebelled and joined the boys! It was inspiring to learn how simple and straightforward electricity was. It is either zero or one. That led to my studying electronics in high school. My plan was to continue to higher education in that field as well. However, before starting my first year I took a preparation course in Physics - and I was hooked, till this day. Understanding the physical laws around us and forming these laws in simple equation - it's like magic!
What did you focus on in your university studies?
During my undergraduate years I studied Physics, then moved to the Physical Engineering department and did my Masters degree studying modes in lasers. Then for my Ph.D. I changed my focus a bit, and I studied the building of nonlinear components for optical communication.
Was there a particular moment or experience that sparked your interest in optics?
Nonlinear optics and optical communication were very hot and interesting subjects at the time, and indeed I enjoyed researching in these fields, but through that I discovered something that reminded me of my Lego days – the production of micro devices. It is exciting and fun and ignited my interest.
Can you tell us a bit about your new role at InZiv? What will you be doing as VP R&D?
I plan to lead the R&D parts of the company like Physics and Algorithms, making sure that each one of the members of the team is on the right path toward his or her – and our – success.
I will also be a part of the team making the key roadmap decisions, by sharing my experience in product maturation. I’m also looking forward to finding new possible development and marketing directions.
Leaving a large corporation like KLA to join a relatively young start-up like InZiv is quite a change! What are some of the factors that led to your decision to join the InZiv team? What attracted you to the company?
There were several factors:
I was attracted to the company culture that strongly reminded me of Orbotech and KLA. The technology is really cool, and I see a lot of potential to implement it in different markets. Since I come from similar industry and market, I felt that there is a high compatibility between my knowledge and InZiv’s needs. I feel that InZiv is currently within a productization maturation process, and my background in a large company where these processes are well developed, can be of benefit.
So far, in the brief time you have already been at InZiv, what have been some of your initial impressions about working at the company?
There were no surprises: everyone is nice, is working hard, and shares a common goal. There are challenges ahead, as in any new market, but there is a great spirit, and the future looks promising.
How do you see microLED and OLEDoS technology developing over the next ten years?
OLEDoS is more matured and closer to full production compared to microLED, however it is an inherently expensive technology since the entire display is made on a wafer that undergoes semiconductor-processes. So, the markets are limited to very small and costly devices. In my opinion, in the long run, OLED on glass, which is a more mature industry, will compete with OLEDoS and find technological ways to increase the OLED production resolution on glass (which is the main justification for OLEDoS).
As for microLEDs, here I see a brighter (!) future. Although microLEDs are far from maturation, the potential is high, opening a way to new products (probably also ones that we still cannot even imagine). OLED technology took more than 10 years to mature, but at the end, when there is strong motivation, the maturation will happen.
MicroLEDs still have a way to go, but I do believe that they will get there!
What are some of the major challenges in microLED and how do you see InZiv helping the industry move forward?
I believe that there are two main challenges for microLEDs:
- For very small microLEDs, like those that are that are required to enable AR devices, the LEDs are not efficient enough (especially true for the red color).
- Mass production, including mass-transfer and inspection, which is required for TVs, monitors and even mobile phones, has not yet been solved. The main issues here are yield and price.
InZiv’s main contribution to the industry is that it can help identify design and production issues in microLEDs. On the one hand, we can shorten the new design development loop with our OmniPix tool (an all-in-one R&D testing and characterization tool for microLED and OLEDoS), and on the other hand, we can help with productization and yield/process control with the R-EL Glide (an industrial high-throughput microLED wafer EL inspection system) .
Moving out of the realm of physics for a moment…when you are not wearing your VP R&D “hat”, what are some things that you like to do outside of the office?
I was always drawn to a combination of creativity, technology, and handwork. I found it all in silversmithing. It was something that I wanted to explore for many years, but the balance between work and raising a family, was tight enough as is. Now, that my kids have all grown up, and my spare time is really mine to spare, I found the time to finally explore this field. I am fascinated by the endless possibilities and techniques that were developed over the centuries and my wish it to conquer them all!
Dr. Hurvitz will be presenting a Master Class next week on Sept. 24 in Eindhoven, Netherlands at the microLED Connect conference. Her topic is: “microLED Electro-Optical Inspection and Metrology”.