Jean Fréchet

Transcription

2013 (29th) Japan Prize Laureate in the field of Materials and Production Grant Willson, Ph.D. (United States) Jean Fréchet, Ph.D. (United States) Prof. Grant Willson was born in 1939 in California, United Sates. Since he was a child, Prof. Willson was a passionate reader of science magazines. After graduating from high school, he took up an internship at a local chemical manufacturer. Thereafter, he advanced to University of California, Berkeley to study organic chemistry. Beside university studies, he was also passionate about yacht racing. After graduation, he joined IBM, which at the time had just entered the small computer market. Prof. Jean Fréchet was born in 1944 in Bourgogne, France. Influenced by his father who was a chemist, Prof. Fréchet had an aspiration to become a chemist as a child. He advanced to the Institut de Chimie et Physique Industrielles in Lyon and pursued industrial chemistry. After graduating, he moved to the United Sates and earned a PhD in Polymer Chemistry from the State University of New York, and a PhD in Organic Chemistry from Syracuse University. Thereafter, he became an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Ottawa where he began his own research as a chemist. During the 1980s, IBM, where Prof. Willson worked, was leading the world in the production of semiconductor devices. Moore's law announced in 1965 predicted that "the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years". As predicted, the semiconductor industry was urgently pursuing higher integration. In order to create the minute circuits of a semiconductor, a coating called resist must first be formed on the surface of the silicon wafer. It is then exposed to light, such as ultraviolet light, through a photomask which causes the exposed area to chemically change by photochemical reaction. Through this technique, minute circuit patterns can be printed as positive or negative image. During the manufacturing process, shortening the wavelength of ultraviolet light during exposure results in higher resolution but it also lowers exposure sensitivity. This problem becomes an obstacle when trying to draw minute circuits. So there was a huge interest in improving the resist's exposure sensitivity. At the time, Prof. Fréchet, who came to IBM on a sabbatical leave from the University of Ottawa, proposed a solution for this problem. This was the "chemically amplified resist" approach. First, light exposure generates catalyst inside the resist. Prof. Fréchet and Willson thought that by having the catalyst trigger a chain reaction inside the resist, the nature of all the resist polymers could be changed at once with little exposure. Hence, enough exposure sensitivity could be achieved with short wavelength light. Even after Prof. Fréchet returned to the University of Ottawa, their collaborative research continued. Major progress came when Dr. Ito, who was at the time studying polysaccharide synthesis at the State University of New York, joined their research team. In 1985 after numerous trial and errors, this research team led by Prof. Willson succeeded in developing a stable resist polymer material. From thereafter, Prof. Willson traveled back-and-forth between the research laboratory in Silicon Valley and the factory in Vermont to bring the memory chip manufacturing to the level of mass production. Finally, chemically amplified resist went from being a laboratory experiment to a technology supporting the manufacturing of memory chips with the largest memory capacity at the time. Seeing this, Prof. Willson strongly felt that in the future, this kind of resist will go on to be used to make electronic devices around the world. Behind the research careers of both professors, there was the heartwarming support of their families. After Prof. Willson married his wife Deborah, they were blessed with two sons. Even though Prof. Willson would often be away from home on long business trips, his wife always gave him utmost support with a warm smile. Prof. Fréchet met his wife Janet during his university years and they were married in 1971. They were blessed with two sons. For Prof. Fréchet who is always busy, his family gave him great comfort and support. The two professors are not only research partners but they have been a close family friends for many years. Dr. Hiroshi Ito, who co-researched with the two professors also shared close relationships in work and private life. Unfortunately, Dr. Ito passed way in 2009 but his contributions to the development of resist materials have been tremendous. Today, the "chemically amplified resist" approach has become a standard in semiconductor manufacturing. Starting with electronic devices we use such as PCs and smartphones, to automobiles, it is used to manufacture microprocessors and memory chips used in a wide range of products. Prof. Willson has been recognized for these achievements and has since received numerous awards. Today, he is a Professor at the University of Texas in Austin where he is devoted to nurturing upcoming researchers. Prof. Fréchet continues to actively interact with many researches and is called to numerous seminars and symposiums. Today, he still leads an active career as the Vice-President for Research at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. [To young researchers] The path you have chosen is not incorrect. Technology is constantly advancing and the future society that awaits us is beyond our imagination. Only by having a solid education in science, technology, engineering or mathematics, one is able to participate in the creation of future technology. Continue your studies with all your effort and find a chance to take part in research activity as early as you can. [To young researchers] Believe in your self and welcome any challenges you face in work. At the same time, do not forget to enjoy life as well. They should be simultaneously achieved. Happiness in work and family life are the best ingredients for success. Be creative, and have open-minded ideas. Don't hesitate to share your ideas with people more experienced than yourself. Be bold. But most of all, never forget that science is supposed to be fun.