IEEE Awards Booklet - 2014 - 11

2014 IEEE MEDALS

IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal

IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal

Sponsored by The Federation
of Electric Power Companies, Japan

Sponsored by Intel Foundation

Franz Laermer
and Andrea Urban

John E. Kelly, III

For inventing and developing the Bosch deep reactive ion etching process
that has impacted the
micro-electro-mechanical
systems (MEMS) field

For global executive leadership in
semiconductor technology R&D

The development of the deep reactive ion etching process by
Franz Laermer and Andrea Urban revolutionized the microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) industry by enabling costeffective production and proliferation of devices such as the tiny
sensors found in automobile air bag and anti-skidding systems,
as well as in today's smartphones and laptop computers. Patented
in 1994, the process allowed for precise manufacturing of complex structures in high-quality mono- and poly-crystalline silicon
compared to existing anisotropic wet etching methods. Considered a major turning point in the commercialization of MEMS
technology, the process enabled the design of more sophisticated
and compact devices but at lower cost. It helped overcome the
cost barrier to widespread use of silicon accelerometers for air
bag sensors, and yaw-rate sensors for car stability control, making
these important safety features accessible to more than just highend automobiles.The process also made possible new generations
of affordable sensors used in mobile phone applications, hard-disk
protection in laptops, and human-gesture recognition in video
game controllers. The technology has also impacted MEMS devices in healthcare, such as DNA chips and disposable blood pressure sensors. Dr. Laermer and Ms. Urban were also instrumental
in guiding Bosch to license the process to other manufacturers
instead of tightly guarding the intellectual property. This helped
in the tremendous growth and commercial success of the MEMS
industry, with large manufacturers using the process for their own
MEMS-based devices and enabling the start-up of many smaller
companies to provide contributions to MEMS technology. The
pair was honored with the 2007 European Inventor of the Year
Award (Industry Category) for their work on and subsequent
success of the deep reactive ion etching process.
Dr. Laermer is vice president of corporate sector research and
advance engineering-microsystems, with Robert Bosch GmbH,
Stuttgart, Germany. Ms. Urban is a senior expert with the Engineering Sensor Process Technology Department, Robert Bosch
GmbH, Reutlingen, Germany.

The technical and business leadership skills of John E. Kelly, III
have driven technology advancements at IBM and have impacted the global semiconductor industry, resulting in cutting-edge
semiconductor research. The founder of IBM's Semiconductor
Research and Development Center in 1996, Dr. Kelly was the
driving force in merging IBM's separate R&D organizations into
a seamless structure, increasing innovation and bringing technology to market more quickly. Under Dr. Kelly's leadership, IBM
set the pace in semiconductor technology development, unveiling back-end-of-the line copper interconnect technology ahead
of industry, introducing the transition to 200-mm wafer scale, and
bringing silicon-on-insulator technology to the high-end processor market. Dr. Kelly is responsible for 12 research laboratories
and over 3,000 scientists located around the world, and he has
opened IBM's labs to close collaborations with clients, bringing
leading-edge research to bear on their toughest challenges. He
has been instrumental in establishing important IBM alliances
with many of the world's leading semiconductor companies, such
as Samsung and Toshiba, that have helped to disseminate leadingedge process technology throughout the industry at a significantly reduced cost through resource sharing. He also helped develop
a new patent strategy that opened up access to much of IBM's
intellectual property, allowing collaborative efforts with partner
firms across organizational and industrial boundaries. Dr. Kelly
also cofounded the Center for Semiconductor Research at the
State University of New York, Albany, which serves as a model
of collaboration among corporate entities, university faculty and
students, and government agencies. His reputation and network
of global relationships have attracted a literal who's who of semiconductor technology to the Center. He has authored numerous
technical publications and recently published the book Smart Machines: IBM's Watson and the Era of Cognitive Computing with writer
Steve Hamm on Columbia University Press.
Dr. Kelly is senior vice president and director of research with
IBM Corporation,Yorktown Heights, N.Y. He is an IEEE Fellow,
recipient of the 2010 IEEE Frederik Philps Award, a member of
the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and in October 2013
he received the NAE's Arthur M. Bueche Award.

Scope: For outstanding contributions to material and device
science and technology, including practical application

Scope: For exceptional contributions to the microelectronics
industry

11 | 2014 IEEE AWARDS BOOKLET

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Awards Booklet - 2014