SEMATECH today announced that recognized technologists Dr. Bryan J. Rice and Dr. Stefan Wurm have been named Director and Associate Director of its Lithography Division. They will be responsible for assuring that SEMATECH's strategic direction and its execution support critical lithography technology areas.
Dr. Rice, who most recently served as the immersion program manager, replaces former Director Michael Lercel, who has returned to IBM from his SEMATECH assignment. Rice has been on assignment to SEMATECH from Intel Corporation since 2006. He has led SEMATECH's high index immersion research in the search for high refractive index lens and immersion fluid materials. Additionally, Rice has been instrumental in forming SEMATECH's double exposure program, focusing on the exploration of novel materials for the litho-litho-etch patterning approach.
Rice holds a doctorate in nuclear physics from Duke University as well as a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He has made eleven U.S. patents and is the author of numerous publications on lithography and metrology.
Dr. Wurm, who most recently served as SEMATECH's extreme ultraviolet (EUV) program manager, has led SEMATECH's EUV strategy for more than four years. He has been instrumental in shaping and directing the SEMATECH EUV program which provides worldwide EUV infrastructure capabilities and technology learning to SEMATECH members. He has more than 20 years of industry and R&D experience and has held positions in technology development at Siemens Semiconductors, Infineon and Qimonda. Wurm will be on assignment from Advanced Micro Devices which he recently joined as a Principal Member of Technical Staff.
Wurm holds a doctorate in physics from the Technische Universität München, Germany. He has made more than ten U.S. and non-U.S. patents and is the author of multiple publications covering lithography, fundamental research, semiconductor technology and manufacturing.