July 4, 2012 — The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) presented its 2012 University Researcher Awards to Stanford University professors Krishna Saraswat and Bruce Wooley as well as its 2012 Congressional Leadership Awards to Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Rep. Kevin Brady (R-PA) and Rep. Wally Herger (R-CA).
“University research is critical to sustaining the pipeline of discoveries that fuel our industry and the economy,” said Brian Toohey, president and CEO, SIA.
Professor Saraswat’s research interests include new and innovative materials, structures, and process technology of silicon. He pioneered the technologies for aluminum/titanium layered interconnects, CVD of tungsten silicide MOS gates, CVD tungsten MOS gates and tunable workfunction SiGe MOS gates. Dr. Saraswat has graduated 70 doctoral students and has authored/co-authored over 620 technical papers, six of which have received Best Paper Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).
Professor Wooley is a distinguished researcher in the field of IC design, covering low-power mixed-signal circuit design, oversampling A/D and D/A conversion, circuit design techniques for video and image data acquisition, high-speed embedded memory, high-performance packaging and testing, noise in mixed-signal integrated circuits, and circuits for wireless and wireline communications. Dr. Wooley is a Fellow of the IEEE and a past president of the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society. He received the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits Best Paper Award in 2002, and the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Technical Field Award in 2005.
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The 2012 Congressional Leadership Awards recognize strong support for policies that are vital to maintaining U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design. Rep. Herger, who has announced he will retire at the end of the year, was recognized with SIA’s Lifetime Congressional Leadership Award for his cumulative accomplishments during his 25-year career in Congress.
“Sens. Levin and McCain and Reps. Brady and Herger have been vigorous advocates for effective, bipartisan policies that have helped strengthen and expand the US semiconductor industry. Thanks in part to the effective leadership of Sens. Levin and McCain on combating counterfeit semiconductors and Reps. Brady and Herger’s support for research and development, our industry is creating jobs, driving the economy and building breakthroughs to solve society’s most pressing challenges,” said Toohey.
As Chairman and Ranking Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sens. Levin and McCain launched a bipartisan investigation into the dangers of counterfeit semiconductor chips, raising the profile of this important issue and leading to historic reforms at the Department of Defense. Furthermore, Sens. Levin and McCain have shown steadfast support for research funding within the Defense Department, helping sustain the pipeline of discoveries that fuel the semiconductor industry and the overall economy.
As leaders on the House Ways and Means Committee, Trade Subcommittee Chairman Brady and Health Subcommittee Chairman Herger have spearheaded efforts in the House to improve and extend the R&D tax credit. Although the credit expired last year, Reps. Brady and Herger have worked to ensure that it remains a priority on the House agenda. Throughout their congressional careers, Reps. Brady and Herger have recognized that the semiconductor industry is the backbone of innovation and that semiconductors enable economic growth, enhance societal welfare and contribute to our national security.
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) represents the US semiconductor industry. Learn more at www.sia-online.org.