AUSTIN, TEXAS —Tokyo Electron (TEL) presented a donation yesterday of $150,000 to the University of Texas at Austin Departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry and Biochemistry. TEL's contribution is part of a donation program for universities doing research focused on processes and technology used in the semiconductor industry.

The money will be put towards renovating a 2,000 square foot lab in Welch Hall, used by students researching under Dr. Grant Willson, professor of chemical engineering and chemistry. The lab will provide a safe and efficient working space for six graduate students and four or five undergraduate students. A design team headed by Paul Shelander, a University of Texas architect, is working with Dr. Willson to design what will be the safest and most efficient organic chemistry laboratory on campus, a facility that will become the model for future lab design.

The laboratory will include the first 10-foot hoods in the building. These hoods will allow students to handle potentially toxic chemicals in a vented and exhausted area. The cost is being born by contributions from TEL, the College of Engineering, the College of Natural Sciences, and from the University of Texas at Austin. The lab will be available for occupancy within one year.

Professor Grant Willson's research areas cover polymer syntheses and organic compound syntheses, such as photo acid generators, photoactive compounds, advanced resist formulations, resist processing and simulation. "Support of our research activities will allow us to make important and substantive improvements in our polymer characterization instrumentation, which has become badly out-of-date. We will also use a portion of these funds to support research by outstanding undergraduate students in chemistry and in chemical and mechanical engineering who would otherwise not have this opportunity. I am pleased and proud that TEL has had such an active involvement in our research work and we look forward to continued collaboration with them,” said Professor Willson.

TEL also supports UT engineering programs through student mentoring. This year, senior TEL process engineer, Benjamin Ho, Ph.D., is mentoring UT graduate student, Brian Osborn. The mentor works for TEL's Clean Track product line, which has a 75 percent share of the coater/developer market worldwide. Mr. Osborn is a second-year graduate student in UT's Chemistry Department, focusing his studies on next-generation lithography.

"TEL's main interest is in the area of lithographic processing, especially obtaining early information about issues related to process tools and advanced photoresist materials. Since Professor Willson's group is a well-known photolithography research and development organization, we like to keep close ties with him for our technical growth and visibility, as well as our process and tool development. We chose Brian to mentor because of his excellent research skills and his potential to work with us for several years." says Rob Crowell, a TEL product marketing manager.

TEL is not only committed to supporting UT's engineering programs, but programs around the world that research issues affecting the semiconductor industry. "TEL is focused on building relationships with universities to provide a conduit for the sharing of technology and research between universities and industry. This will allow the semiconductor industry to continue to make advancements in the speed and size of integrated circuits used in all types of electronic devices, while enabling university students to apply their knowledge to real world experiences," said Lou Steen, vice president of marketing at Tokyo Electron America.