SEMI honored six industry leaders for their outstanding accomplishments in developing Standards for the microelectronics and related industries. The annual SEMI Standards awards were announced at the SEMI Standards reception held last night during SEMICON West 2015.
2015 SEMI International Standards Excellence Award, inspired by Karel Urbanek
The SEMI International Standards Excellence Award, inspired by Karel Urbanek, is the most prestigious award in the SEMI Standards Program. The 2015 recipient is Dr. Jean-Marie Collard of Solvay Chemicals. The Award recognizes the leadership of the late Karel Urbanek, co-founder of Tencor Instruments and a past SEMI Board of Directors member who was a key figure in the successful globalization of the Standards Program.
Active in SEMI Standards development since 1997, Collard co-chaired the European Chapters of the Gases and Liquid Chemicals Committees since 2003. Under his leadership, the committees created numerous Standards for the semiconductor and solar manufacturing industries. Collard has been instrumental in ensuring that the standards developed are relevant. He has actively recruited key players in the supply chain to contribute to development efforts, making certain that the published Standards reflect the true needs of the industry. He also served as co-chair of the European Regional Standards Committee (ERSC) from 2009 to 2013, steering the ERSC through difficult economic times. As ERSC co-chair, Collard was also an International Standards Committee member, and provided valuable, practical input for new proposals, including the current effort to establish virtual meetings.
Collard earned his Master’s degree and Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from the University of Liege, Belgium. He joined Solvay in 1988 and has worked in Belgium, France, and the United States.
Merit Award
The Merit Award recognizes a Standards volunteer major contributions to the semiconductor industry through the SEMI Standards Program. Award winners typically take on a complex problem at the task force level, gain industry support, and drive the project to completion. Matt Milburn of UCT established the Surface Mount Sandwich Component Dimensions Task Force, within the North America Chapter of the Gases Committee, in April 2013 to develop standards for “sandwich” components (components located between substrate and another component). At the time of Task Force formation, these components did not have dimensional standards in place and varied by each manufacturer, resulting in interchangeability issues between manufacturers of functionally equivalent components. Milburn addressed this problem by leading the successful development of ballot 5595, Specification for Dimensions of Sandwich Components for 1.125 Inch Type Surface Mount Gas Distribution Systems, which was recently approved by the Gases Committee and will be published as SEMI C88-0715.
Leadership Award
The Leadership Award recognizes volunteers who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in guiding the SEMI Standards Program. This Award is presented to individuals who have strengthened the Program through member training, mentoring, and new member recruitment. Frank Parker of ICL Performance Products and Frank Flowers of PeroxyChem have co-chaired the North America Chapter of the Liquid Chemicals Committee for over ten years. During this time, Parker and Flowers have overseen the development of new specifications and analytical test methods for liquid chemicals while keeping the extensive catalog of previously developed liquid chemical standards up-to-date with current industry needs. Their experience and patience has been critical in transforming new volunteers into productive committee contributors, effectively guiding them through the standardization process and minimizing wasted efforts.
Honor Award
The Honor Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated long-standing dedication to the advancement of SEMI Standards. Dr. Jaydeep Sinha of KLA-Tencor has contributed to the Silicon Wafer Committee for over 15 years and has led the development of numerous metrology standards. In addition to leading the Advanced Wafer Geometry Task Force, Sinha organized several SEMI Standards workshops around the world, recruiting technologists from leading device makers, equipment suppliers, and consortia to educate local audiences on recent developments and future needs in wafer geometry. Sinha also actively works to keep the Silicon Wafer Committee familiar with oncoming industry trends, frequently inviting industry experts to speak at committee meetings on hot topics.
Corporate Device Member Award
The Corporate Device Member Award recognizes the participation of the user community and is presented to individuals from device manufacturers. Dr. Jan Rothe of GLOBALFOUNDRIES is this year’s recipient. Rothe has been active in SEMI Standards since the mid-2000s, and has led the International E84 (Specification for Enhanced Carrier Handoff Parallel I/O Interface) Revision Task Force since 2007. Rothe’s consistent participation in the Physical Interfaces and Carriers Committee and feedback on ballot proposals has ensured that the customer perspective is reflected in all committee output.