This is a story about scientific misconduct in the Netherlands and 11 years of struggle for an honest and fair investigation of allegations of scientific misconduct (still with no success) committed against me. During this time period i, and members of my family, had to endure police harassment, justice accusations, and intimidations. The case belong to deliberate dishonesty category which i can resume it as fellow :

Electronic group of university Twente performed for me two steps of a classical CMOS process. I discovered (measurements and analyses) that my wafers were treated without my permission/knowledge with NH3 plasma. They refused to inform me on the way they performed these 2 steps ( experimental parameters and the name of the deposition machine used), see home page, Mr.Aite letter to Prof.Fluitman in English at : www.tomaatnet.nl/AITE3.jpg . The university refused any investigation of my complaints.

4 years later i discovered their publication, patent applications and US-patent about a new method of Si treatment using NH3 plasma and a PECVD machine !!!. This machine was developed at Twente university and my wafers hold as test device without my permission.. Another form of fraud was the fact that the university asked a grant follow-up of my research and encouraged me to send a publication abstract based on erroneous data.

The problem is that the university refused to investigate the case, neglecting the Dutch academy of science notification about how to deal with allegations of scientific misconduct.

This case had an antecedent, in 1987 i worked for Philips Research Laboratories in a semiconductor group. My starting salary as post-doc was 1000 $ monthly. I feel that this was intellectual abuse/humiliation, for the reason that my activities were limited to investigations of unknown devices and archaic methods. (See Philips report). I got a minimum information at the end of my stay to write down a report !!! Scientifically speaking a report about my activities was nonsense. It was their way to keep you away from the company. A French professor, who introduced me there, got a copy of this report, and this was the beginning of a nightmare in the Netherlands. I should pay for this including my family members. The youngest of them were kicked out from their schools and the adults from their jobs.

After this incident of work discrimination by Philips, i started another post-doc job for two years at University of Twente to develop an integrated angle detector, and was paid 1200$ monthly. I didn't know that after a year unemployment that this was a trick of Philips researchers. The majority of the electrical faculty at this university were ex-Philips workers and still depend on this Philips. During two years, i have been subjected to harassment and work intimidatons (a computer for wordprocessing was not available and a visit to a scientific congres was not possible ). For 1200$ monthly, the university had the intention of exploiting me and to publish my work under someone else's name.

My project was defined as follows (Prof.Fluitman, Prof.Wallinga): The proposal is directed on the design of a high quality angle detector, based on the magnetoresistive (magnetic field induced anisotropy) effect in permalby in the composition Ni(81)Fe(19). The permalloy thin film device should be integrated on a silicon chip together with a CM0S preamplifier. The critical steps in the total process should be investigated and preliminary solutions must be obtained (people familiar with smart sensors understand how incompetent the people of this university are!!! ).

During my stay, i had to work with three different groups :

*Sensor research group, who developed the angle detector and protected their research with a patent application which means that i had to work for my own sensor and its magnetic parameters.

*Electronic group (design and technology) where my presence in their Lab was not tolerated, and therefore i had to ask a third person to perform for me some of my experiments. It was a way to control my activities.

*Magnetic group were Philips introduced a Japanese "dirty task manager". He got the job of research fellow without possessing any scientific experience at his forty.

For an oxidation and SiON thin film deposition you need 2 a 4 hours, but the people of electronic group have done it for me in one year. I was patient and i didn't complain about this. But when they refused to inform me about the experimental parameters of a classical oxidation and SiON thin film deposition performed on wafers of my research, i discussed with them my objections. Even the type of used machine to deposit SiON was not accessible, later i found it in a US-patent (probably a PHILIPS-Lab property). The sad reality is Prof.Wallinga felt some lucrative profit in the realization of such sensor, which explain their unique attitude/behaviour towards my person/research. This reality is sad because integrating an angle detector with a CMOS amplifier was a nonsense project. Later, i understood that they used my research wafers to test their "own techniques" to include the integrated angle detector in their own patent claims. Their patent application was a result of my own research work. In fact, i designed a simple test structure for my own preleminary research (MOS capacitor encapsulated in a PECVD SiON film) which was similar to a structure cited in a Japanese patent (Sony). It was just a coincidence. The prelimanary results were so interesting in their eyes, that they tried everything to sabotage my research. So the second year of my stay was a hell.

-In May 1990, i complained to the faculty director that without my knowledge, they treated my wafers with a NH3 plasma. My complaints were not investigated among them work abuse complaints. The University administration refused to investigate my case.

-In 1991 i contacted the first lawyer who claimed information about their illegal treatment of wafers of my research and their publications. The university refused any cooperation and the lawyer was unable to continue the case. A Philips researcher Dr.D.R Wolters, ex-colleague, did contact the lawyer and maybe intimidate hem.

-In 1993 and later in 1994 i discovered for the first time their publication, patent applications about a new method using NH3 plasma treatment of silicon wafer, and an US-patent about PECVD machine. I contacted the second lawyer which advised me to come with an expert report from an independent scientist. It took me 2 more years to understand that i was alone in my efforts, and the scientific community refused to assist me. A third lawyer refused to contact a consultant to discuss the needed expert report. In all this period i contacted scientists and scientific organizations in the Netherlands and from many parts of the world. Even the Dutch academy of science refused to assist me by providing an expert report about my case. A huge number of lawyers has been contacted and they refused to help me giving the excuse that a legal case against a university is not possible.

In 1996, a new complaint of allegations of scientific fraud by the university was ignored. The position of the university was that my case was investigated by my superiors and Professor Popma. Popma was a colleague and couldn't stand as independent investigator. Further i didn't have any technical discussion with them about the matter. Even a national consul ( Nationale ombudsman) found that the position of the university was right even that they got a notification from the Dutch academy of science. In this notification, the Dutch scientific community required investigation of all allegations of scientific misconduct by an independent scientific commission. But what they didn't mention in the notification is the sad fact that only dutch native allegations are acceptable !!!.

Recently I got a document were Philips had attacked me personally by the university administration. Dr.Wolters, a frustrated chemist, belong to this category who believe that "academic" jobs are for native dutch first. During my stay he used all the power and time to lobby for a family member (probably another incompetent) to join his company !!!!. I still didn't catch on what makes hem made on me.

I am now waiting for a print out of an expert report. I contacted the expert 5 years ago, and paid him 3 years ago after his agreed to assist hem.

Resuming the case, 11 years of my life, struggling for an honest and fair investigation of allegations of a scientific misconduct. It is tough for whistleblowers in the Netherlands, and if you are of non-european origin you pay an even higher price. How not to handle an allegation of scientific misconduct ?