The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced Martin van den Brink, president and chief technology officer at ASML Holding and renowned pioneer in semiconductor manufacturing technology, has been named the 2016 recipient of SIA’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award. SIA presents the Noyce Award annually in recognition of a leader who has made outstanding contributions to the semiconductor industry in technology or public policy. Van den Brink will accept the award at the annual SIA Award Dinner on Thursday, Nov. 10 in San Jose, an event that will commemorate the 25thanniversary of the Noyce Award.
Many past award recipients will be in attendance to celebrate the anniversary, including the following semiconductor industry leaders and founders: Dr. Craig Barrett, Dr. Morris Chang, John Daane, Dr. John E. Kelly III, Stanley Mazor, Jim Morgan, Jerry Sanders, George Scalise, Mike Splinter, Ray Stata, Rich Templeton, and Pat Weber.
“Throughout his distinguished career, Martin van den Brink has been a true semiconductor industry innovator, champion, and visionary, pioneering optical lithography methods that have given rise to the smaller, faster, more efficient chips that underpin modern technology,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Martin’s myriad accomplishments over the last 30 years have strengthened our industry and fundamentally transformed semiconductor manufacturing. On behalf of the SIA board of directors, it is a pleasure to announce Martin’s selection as the 2016 Robert N. Noyce Award recipient in recognition of his outstanding achievements.”
During Van den Brink’s three decades at ASML, he has led transformative advances in optical lithography procedures used to manufacture semiconductors. Optical lithography, a microfabrication process in which light-sensitive chemicals are used to transfer circuit patterns onto chip wafers, is the primary technology used for the production of semiconductors and has allowed for the continued miniaturization of chips. Thanks in large part to Van den Brink’s technological leadership, ASML is now the world’s largest supplier of optical lithography equipment for the global semiconductor industry.
Van den Brink was one of ASML’s first employees, joining when the company was founded in 1984. He has held various engineering positions since that time, including Vice President, Technology and Executive Vice President, Marketing & Technology. He has served on ASML’s Board of Management since 1999 and was appointed President and CTO on July 1, 2013. Van den Brink earned a degree in Electrical Engineering from HTS Arnhem, and a degree in Physics from the University of Twente, the Netherlands.
“I’m extremely gratified to accept this honor and enter the company of previous Noyce Award recipients, many of whom I’m proud to call friends, colleagues, and mentors,” said Van den Brink. “Throughout my career, I have been privileged to work with some of the finest scientists, engineers, and researchers in the world, individuals who have helped strengthen the semiconductor industry, the tech sector, and the global economy. It is with them in mind that I thankfully accept this award and look forward to continuing to work alongside them to advance semiconductor innovation.”
The Noyce Award is named in honor of semiconductor industry pioneer Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.
“I’m also pleased that we will be joined at this event by so many of the past winners of the Noyce Award who have built this industry and driven its success over the years,” Neuffer said. “This event will be a unique opportunity to celebrate the industry and the promise for the future.”