WASHINGTON (NCER) - EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grantee, Dennis W. Hess, PhD, was appointed Editor in Chief of Electrochemical and Solid State Letters earlier this year. Electrochemical and Solid State Letters, a joint publication of the Electrochemical Society (ECS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Electron Devices Society (EDS), is a peer-reviewed, electronic journal that covers the leading edge of research and development in such areas as fuel cells, sensors, and semiconductors.
Dr. Hess is the William W. LaRoche, Jr., Professor in the School of
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology.
His research interests include thin film science and technology, microelectronics
processing and electronic materials. Dr. Hess is a leading researcher
in the area of thin film structure-property relationships and their role
in chemical process sequences used in the fabrication of microelectronic
devices and integrated circuits. By
understanding how the electrical, optical, mechanical, and chemical properties
of thin films are related to chemical structure and bonding configurations,
Dr. Hess has advanced the field by effectively tailoring film materials
for particular applications. Dr. Hess also conducts
research on the use of glow discharges or plasmas for the deposition, etching, and polymerization of thin films.
As part of the EPA STAR grants program, Dr. Hess has been working on the "Removal of Photoresist and Post-Plasma Etch Sidewall Films Using Supercritical and Subcritical Carbon Dioxide With Additives." In this work, he is investigating environmentally benign approaches to remove organic films and residues generated during the fabrication of integrated circuits and microelectric devices in the semiconductor industry. Traditionally, photoresist stripping has been achieved through the use of plasma and liquid processes. In addition to the technological shortcomings of this approach, it has had a negative impact on the environment because large quantities of hazardous solvents, bases, and acids are used. Therefore, Dr. Hess is exploring the use of super- and sub-critical carbon dioxide, which the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (Edition 2001, Interconnect) has recommended as an environmentally benign alternative for photoresist removal. However, due to the inability of supercritical carbon dioxide to dissolve or react with photoresist and most inorganic materials, Dr. Hess is exploring the addition of the modifier, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, to enhance residue removal. In the future, he plans to investigate the compatibility of his cleaning mixtures with porous low-dielectric constant films. This will become increasingly important during the next few years with the growing use of nanotechnology in the manufacturing of integrated circuits.
Dr. Hess is the recipient of several awards and honors. In September
2000, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science. The Materials Engineering and Sciences Division of the American
Institute of Chemical Engineers granted him the "Charles
M.A. Stine Award” in November 1999. This Award "recognizes
an individual's outstanding contribution to the scientific, technological,
educational, or service areas of materials engineering and science." In
addition, Dr. Hess served as President of the Electrochemical Society
from 1996 to 1997, as Divisional Editor for the Journal of the Electrochemical
Society from 1978 to 1990, and as Associate Editor for Chemistry
of Materials from 1988 to 1997. He received the "Thinker Award" from
Tegal Corporation in 1991 and the "Callinan Award" from the Dielectric
Science and Technology Division of the Electrochemical Society in 1993.
Dr. Hess earned his PhD in 1973 and MS in 1970 from Lehigh University. He completed his BS from Albright College in 1968. Dr. Hess is the author or coauthor of more than 170 publications.
WASHINGTON (NCER) - EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) grantee, Dennis W. Hess, PhD, was appointed Editor in Chief of Electrochemical and Solid State Letters earlier this year. Electrochemical and Solid State Letters, a joint publication of the Electrochemical Society (ECS) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Electron Devices Society (EDS), is a peer-reviewed, electronic journal that covers the leading edge of research and development in such areas as fuel cells, sensors, and semiconductors.