Dr. S. Z. Rahaman
R&D Engineer
Hometown: Panskura, WB, India
I first came to Taiwan in 2007 to do my PhD at Chang Gung University. I had done my Master’s in Nanoscience & Technology from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, India. I got into some good programs in other countries including the US, but I chose Taiwan because of its large and well-established semiconductor industry.
Since my professor had some collaboration with ITRI, and our university lab did not have all of the equipment I needed, during my PhD research I often came to ITRI to use the facilities. Every weekend I worked long hours in the ITRI labs, and during this time I noted that it was an excellent research environment, and the ITRI researchers I worked with were very friendly and helpful. During my studies I also presented regularly at the VLSI-TSA Conference which is organized by ITRI, and after one of my presentations I had some discussion with some of the ITRI managers in my area. After I finished my PhD it took a few months but eventually I was hired by ITRI.
I work in the area of non-volatile memory, specifically resistive memory (RRAM). Currently, I am actively involved to develop the resistive memory technology for next generation low power nonvolatile memory applications. Many groups around the world are working on this problem, how to overcome the physical barriers and solve the reliability issue. It is a long-term project and we are making progress. The work environment is good, my managers are willing to listen to new ideas or test some new approach. Sometimes I work on nights or weekends, but mostly it’s not because of work pressure but due to my personal interest in my research.
Living in Taiwan seems easy, that is, the infrastructure is very good as far as transportation, hospitals, etc., and also it is well-organized and convenient. The biggest issues for most Indians coming here will be the food, and the language barrier. I am Muslim so there is the challenge of finding halal food. If I want to cook for myself it’s not too difficult, as now there are big markets here such as Costco that sell halal meats; but if I eat out in a restaurant I may be limited to eating vegetarian food. There are some Muslim students studying at the local universities (many from Indonesia), so I have a group I meet with every week to pray and eat together.
The language barrier can be a problem both at work and in daily life. I am studying the language a little bit, but I don’t have much time to dedicate to it so my level is not very high. Our regular group meetings are largely in Chinese, so I often have to ask for translation help to get the point of the discussion. Outside of work it can create some small problems, although I think the English level of local Taiwanese people is getting better, especially among the younger generation.