AUSTIN, TX and DURHAM, N.C. – Sept. 12, 2016 – Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world's leading university-research consortium for semiconductors and related technologies, will present its highest honors today to professors from University of California, Berkeley and University of Minnesota at SRC’s annual TECHCON conference in Austin, Texas.

Dr. Tsu-Jae King Liu, TSMC Distinguished Professor in Microelectronics in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at UC Berkeley, received this year’s SRC Aristotle Award for outstanding teaching and a deep commitment to the educational experience of her students. With SRC support, Liu’s team at UC Berkeley has made numerous research contributions to the industry in areas including nanometer-scale semiconductor devices and technology, novel non-volatile memory devices and technology and M/NEMS technology for ultra-low-power integrated circuits.

Additionally, Dr. Chris Kim, a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Minnesota, was awarded the SRC Technical Excellence Award for his respective SRC-supported research and contributions to the industry in VLSI circuit design.

Selected by SRC member companies and SRC staff, the award-winning faculty and research teams are being recognized for their exemplary impact on semiconductor productivity through cultivation of technology and talent.

“Advanced research has been instrumental in propelling the semiconductor industry forward, and we are recognizing these valuable researchers and their teams for the critical work they have performed in helping the industry achieve technological triumphs,” said Ken Hansen, SRC CEO and President.

UC Berkeley and Minnesota Research Helps Drive Technology Innovation

Dr. Liu, a member of the Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute and Associate Dean of the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley, earned B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, she worked as a researcher at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Dr. Liu’s current research activities include nanometer-scale logic and memory devices for energy-efficient electronics, and she currently leads research on millivolt nanomechanical switches under the NSF Center for Energy Efficient Electronics Science.

“I am very fortunate to have been able to work with many outstanding students during my career at UC Berkeley, and am humbled to receive this prominent recognition for our joint achievements,” said Dr. Liu. “SRC’s support has made it possible for us to make impactful contributions to society, for which I am very grateful.”

Dr. Kim, a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER award, received his B.S and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. from Purdue University. Prior to joining the University of Minnesota, he worked at Intel Corporation that also recognized him with an Intel Ph.D. Fellowship. His current research focuses on digital, mixed-signal and memory circuit design in advanced-CMOS and beyond-CMOS technologies.

“This award recognizes our group’s invention of a new class of compact on-chip sensors called “silicon odometers” that can accurately and efficiently measure circuit aging effects,” said Dr. Kim. “Over the span of several SRC projects, our team has experimentally demonstrated more than a dozen different odometer designs in technologies ranging from 130 to 32 nanometers.”

TECHCON Showcases Academia’s Brightest

TECHCON brings together the brightest minds in microelectronics research to exchange news about the progress of research ranging from materials to architectures created by SRC’s network of more than 100 of the top engineering universities. Students and industry leaders discuss basic research that is intended to accelerate advancements for both private and public entities.

The presentation of the Aristotle and Technical Excellence awards reflects the purpose of TECHCON, which is to enable future generations of chip technology. The Aristotle Award is given to SRC-funded university faculty that have profoundly and continuously impacted their students’ professional performances in a way that provides long-term benefit to the SRC member companies. The Technical Excellence Awards recognize researchers who have made key contributions to technologies that significantly enhance the productivity of the semiconductor industry.

More than 12,000 students have been prepared by SRC programs, professors and mentors for entry into the semiconductor business. These students provide a path for technology transfer and a source of relevantly educated technical talent for the industry.

About SRC

Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) is non-profit consortium that works with industry, government and academia partners to define, fund and manage university research on behalf of its member companies. Participants gain access to research results and fundamental IP used to compete in the dynamic global marketplace, while recruiting from highly trained students to build the workforce of tomorrow. For more information, visit https://www.src.org/.

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