The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI), America Group, awards Peter Trefonas, Ph.D., corporate fellow in Electronic Materials at The Dow Chemical Company, with the 2016 SCI Perkin Medal. The annual award is recognized as the highest honor given for outstanding work in applied chemistry in the United States, according to SCI. Trefonas will receive the medal at a dinner in his honor on Tuesday, September 13, 2016, at the Hilton Penn’s Landing Hotel in Philadelphia.
The honor recognizes Trefonas’ contributions in the development of chemicals that enable microlithography for the fabrication of microelectronic circuits. His work in the creation of polymer photoresists used in the lithographic process, especially the development of antireflective coatings, enables patterning of smaller features, fitting more circuits in the same area. These advances in miniaturization enable faster microprocessors and many new electronic devices, according to SCI.
“It is hard to imagine life without the smart devices we use, devices we upgrade frequently as technology improves. Peter’s advances in materials used in lithography make them possible, enabling circuit designs that are smaller and faster,” says A.N. Sreeram, Dow senior vice president and chief technology officer.
Trefonas made major contributions to the development of many products used in the production of integrated circuits spanning multiple device design generations, from 2 micron to 14 nm node technologies, including photoresists, antireflectant coatings, underlayers, developers, ancillary products and environmentally safer green products. He is an inventor on 61 US patents, has over 25 additional published active U.S. patent applications, is an author of 99 journal and technical publications and is a recent recipient of both the 2014 ACS Heroes of Chemistry Award and the 2014 SPIE Willson Award, according to SCI.
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