Applied Materials, Inc., a leading semiconductor, display and solar photovoltaic equipment manufacturer, today announced it is being honored with the 2013 IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition award for its outstanding contributions to PECVD technology for flat panel display manufacturing.
The award recognizes Applied's influential role in enabling the cost of LCD TVs to fall by more than 95% over the past decade through continuous innovation. The award is sponsored by IEEE, the world's largest professional association dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, and will be presented on June 29, 2013 at the IEEE Honors Ceremony in San Diego.
Since 1917, the IEEE Awards Program has paid tribute to technical professionals whose exceptional achievements and outstanding contributions have made a lasting impact on technology, society, the engineering profession, and humanity. The Corporate Innovation Recognition award was established in 1985 and recognizes outstanding and exemplary innovation by an industrial entity, governmental or academic organization, or other corporate body, within the fields of interest to the IEEE. Recipients of IEEE-level awards are recognized as the most influential members in their chosen field. They are revered for their resolve to discover, extend, or complement technological advancements in education, industry, research, and service. Each year, new recipients join the prestigious IEEE Award honoree list through a selective peer nomination and approval process.
"It is an honor to receive this prestigious recognition for our innovative display technology from an engineering authority that shares Applied's core values of advancing technology to benefit humanity and that continues to raise the bar in precision materials engineering excellence," said Ali Salehpour, group vice president and general manager, Energy and Environmental Solutions and Display business groups at Applied Materials. "I would like to thank all of our employees and valued customers who have made these technological advancements possible."
"IEEE medals recognize those who have changed the world, those whose work are prominent in the history of science and technology, and those whose work has enhanced our quality of life," said Gordon W. Day, IEEE President and CEO.
Applied entered the flat panel display equipment industry in 1991 in response to what it saw as an unmet need for advanced fabrication equipment. Building on its decades of expertise in semiconductor manufacturing, the company has developed breakthrough processes for fabricating TFT-LCDs for TVs as well as desktop monitors, laptops and, more recently, tablets and smartphones. These processes, which include CVD and physical vapor deposition, have helped accelerate the growth of the display industry.
Leveraging its semiconductor equipment-making experience, Applied developed a CVD system for second generation TFT-LCD fabs which dramatically increased yield and productivity compared to existing alternatives. This breakthrough enabled the TFT-LCD to become the first flat panel display technology to challenge the display market dominance of the cathode ray tube.
"Applied Materials is proud of this prestigious recognition from IEEE," said Dr. Brian Shieh, corporate vice president and general manager of Display CVD products. "Our significant materials engineering achievements in PECVD have enabled us to provide our customers with the right technology to support their businesses and we will continue to innovate in order to serve them with leading next- generation technology."
The company's display technology leadership has been repeatedly demonstrated for more than 20 years as the area of the glass substrates has increased from 0.2m2 to as much as 9m2 today. Virtually every new display passes through its equipment during production, helping to make possible more powerful, portable and affordable flat panel displays for consumers around the world.
The ubiquity of LCDs is due in no small part to Applied Materials, whose PECVD equipment has enabled display customers' product innovations to rapidly reach mass production and meet key price targets that ensured their adoption in the marketplace. The company has maintained a market leadership position in PECVD since 1995.
For more information about Applied's innovative solutions for display manufacturing, please visit www.appliedmaterials.com/display.