OCTOBER 26--The founders of Cognex Corporation (Natick, MA; www.cognex.com), Robert J. Shillman, William Silver, and Marilyn Matz, have been presented with the prestigious 2005 SEMI Award for North America by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute, a trade group representing manufacturers of semiconductor equipment and materials. The SEMI Award honors those individuals who have made significant technical contributions to the semiconductor industry. Shillman, Silver, and Matz were honored for their pioneering role in developing machine-vision technology that is now widely used in semiconductor manufacturing. The award was presented on October 22 in San Jose, CA.
In the early 1980s, Shillman, Silver, and Matz developed a machine-vision system that could accurately and reliably read serial numbers etched on the surfaces of semiconductor wafers. Following that, they led the development of machine-vision algorithms for precisely determining the position and orientation of wafers in the fabrication and testing processes. These two vision capabilities, along with many others that Cognex developed in subsequent years, are now required at almost every stage of the semiconductor manufacturing process.
"After a bare wafer is created, virtually every step in semiconductor manufacturing relies upon machine vision to ensure that the process proceeds correctly," said Stanley T. Myers, president and CEO of SEMI. "By developing high-speed, high-accuracy machine-vision tools for identification and alignment, and by keeping pace with rapidly changing semiconductor manufacturing requirements, these innovators have enabled device makers to continually maximize quality and performance."
SEMI is a global industry association serving companies that provide equipment, materials, and services used to manufacture semiconductors, displays, nanoscaled structures, microelectromechanical systems, and related technologies. For more information, visit www.semi.org.
