Spring, 2009
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
The New York State (D-NY) Visits ITC
Center of Excellence Submits $5 million request to
in Photonics & Department of Defense for Smart
Microsystems (MEMS) Prosthetics research & development
MISSION:
New York’s junior United States
As a Global Leader in the Senator visited ITC on May 16th to tour
development of MEMS the facility and see first hand the work
solutions and MEMS related the center is undertaking in the areas of ITC Director of Program Management, Nancy
Stoffel displays MEMS products developed at ITC to
services, ITC delivers the smart prosthetics research and alterna- Senator Gillibrand. CEO Paul Tolley at right.
highest possible levels of tive energy technology development.
innovation and quality. The
foundation of our corporate In this year’s Defense appropriations bill, Senator Gillibrand submitted ITC’s
culture is embedded in request to extend it’s Smart Prosthetics Program into 2010. ITC hopes that
continuous improvement which this will ultimately lead to a 5-year program to develop advanced prosthetics for
is fundamental to customer injured soldiers returning home, as well as to address the growing problem of
satisfaction. loss of limb resulting from diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control esti-
mates that 23.6 million Americans currently have diabetes - 7 percent of the
ITC, as a 501(C)(3) organiza- U.S. population. As this number rises, diabetes is the leading cause of non-
tion provides a platform for traumatic lower-extremity amputations (LEAs) in the U.S.
technology breakthroughs that (continued on page 3)
boosts regional economic
development and meets areas
of critical national need.
Congressman Eric Massa
(D-NY) Tours ITC
Visit highlighted by business round-
ITC provides the highest
table; technology demonstrations
standards of workmanship for
prototype and pilot production
Representatives from ITC’s board of
MEMS products and services.
directors and customers had the
This delivers our customers
opportunity to meet with Congressman
and partners the innovative
Eric Massa (D-NY) on April 24th at ITC.
engineering approaches,
This was the first visit to ITC by the Congressman Eric Massa (left) with
scalable fabrication, ITC CEO Paul Tolley.
Congressman, who represents a large
packaging, and testing
portion of the Finger Lakes Region including Canandaigua. The purpose of
processes they demand.
this meeting was to introduce the Congressman to ITC, it’s capabilities, and it’s
VISIT US ONLINE AT: plans for supporting regional economic development through technology
www.ITCMEMS.com commercialization. (continued on page 3)
THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF ITC www.ITCMEMS.com 1
Guy Spiers Hired as New Director of Operations
Will Focus Efforts to Meet Quality Standards; Increase Efficiency
Guy Spiers has been hired as ITC’s new Director of Operations. Spiers received a B.S.
in Chemical Engineering and an M.S. in Physics from the University of Akron and an
M.S. in Materials Engineering from Brown University. He also completed graduate
research and coursework in Optoelectronics at UC Santa Barbara.
Spiers previously spent 12 years at IBM as a process development engineer with focus
on GaAs MESFETS and lasers, and thin film integration on multi-chip ceramic
modules. This led him to work at IBM’s Advanced Semiconductor Technology Center
(ASTC) as a development/manufacturing process engineer. His experience at the ASTC with deep trench
DRAM technology led to a new position at WhiteOak Semiconductor (a partnership between Siemens and
Motorola that eventually became Qimonda) in Richmond, VA. Having started in 1997 as a process engineer,
a year later he moved into management. While at WhiteOak Spiers lead the Thin Film and Ion Implant
Process and Equipment Engineering teams, and MES Administration/Change Control Quality Systems.
Spiers will manage both fabrication and packaging operations at ITC. Former Director of Fabrication, Mary
Winters, has been named ITC’s Director of Business Development. In this role, Winters will focus on
developing new customer relationships and expansion of current customer projects. Former Director of
Packaging, Nancy Stoffel, has been named Director of Program Management and will oversee the flow of
both commercial and government sponsored projects.
VISIT BY CONGRESSMAN ERIC MASSA (D-NY)
MicroGen CEO, Robert Andosca (left) demonstrates their Congressman Massa (left), ITC Director of Business Devel-
micro energy harvesting technology. Congressman Massa, opment, Mary Winters (center), and ITC CEO Paul Tolley
center, described the technology as “game changing.” (right) in the chase observation room.
ITC Principal MEMS Scientist, Marek Kowarz, demonstrates Senior MEMS Packaging Engineer, Gus McDonald (right)
micro-mirror technology fabricated at ITC to Congressman explains the wafer dicing process.
Massa.
THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF ITC www.ITCMEMS.com 2
Massa Visit (from page 1)
The session included a tour of the facility and demonstrations of technology currently under development at the
Center, including MicroGen Systems’ micro-energy harvester technology, an alternative to traditional batteries for
powering motes in wireless sensor networks. Congressman Massa described this development as a “game
changing” technology, and proposed assisting the Center in demonstrating it to the Departments of Defense and
Homeland Security. Businesses at the roundtable session highlighted the importance of a facility like ITC to their
technology-led development programs, and ability to do pilot and low-volume manufacturing leading to commercialzia-
tion. The Congressman was also urged to support the reauthorization of the Small Business Innovative Research
(SBIR) program, which fills the funding gap for companies in the Rochester region seeking to do high-risk R&D.
To expand development efforts and address the needs for smart sensor networks to monitor U.S. civil infrastructure,
ITC is working with MicroGen and a mix of other business and university collaborators on a proposal to the National
Institute of Standards and Technolgy (NIST) under the Technology Innovation Program (TIP). If awarded, this $16 to
$18 million, four-year program will develop a system-level solutions to highway, bridge, and other infrastructure
monitoring needs.
Gillibrand Visit (from page 1)
Recent statistics show that over 80,000 amputations are performed each year on people with diabetes - approxi-
mately half occurring among people aged 65 and up. In the current military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the
U.S. recently experienced it’s 500th major case of amputation - a 24-year-old corporal who lost both legs in a roadside
bomb. And while many of these injuries would have resulted in death in previous wars, depression and quality of life
issues persist. ITC is committed to utilizing it’s DoD research funding to develop more responsive prosthetics devices
that an raise the quality of life for our injured soldiers and general population.
ITC is the in the midst of a multi-year program funded by the Army Research Labs to develop MEMS-enabled
technologies that meet areas of critical national need. ITC will also launch it’s Smart Prosthetics program, awarded
under the FY2009 Department of Defense appropriations bill that will address such issues as wearability and range of
motion. This program is administered through the DOD’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center
(TATRC), whose mission is to provide solutions to medical problems of importance to the American warfighter at
home and abroad.
From left: Canandaigua Mayor Ellen Polimeni, Senator Gillibrand sees a demo of the MicroGen
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, ITC CEO Paul Tolley, BOLT1500 vibrational micro-energy harvester by
NYS Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb MicroGen President & CEO Robert Andosca.
At left, ITC Director of Program Management,
Nancy Stoffel shows Senator Gillibrand devices
fabricated at ITC in the Metrology Lab.
THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF ITC www.ITCMEMS.com 3
ITC to Host SEMI High Tech U.
Summer Program Features Industry-Led Introduction to
Semiconductor Industry and High-Tech Jobs.
ITC is now accepting applications from area high school students who are currently 16 or 17 years in age, or who will
be 16 in 2009, for the SEMI High Tech U. program. High Tech U. provides students with an intensive, three-day,
industry-led introduction to the semiconductor industry, potential career paths, and educational requirements. The
program will be hosted at ITC’s facility and runs August 11th through the 13th.
Any student in the Rochester/Finger Lakes region who has an interest in high-tech is encouraged to apply. There is
no cost for students to attend, and two students will be chosen to receive $1000 college scholarships at the conclu-
sion of the program.
Students will participate in several hands-on activities that focus on topics including statistics, nanotechnology, solar
and alternative energy technologies, mathematics, and problem solving. They will also participate in mock interviews
and hear from a panel of area colleges and universities about local educational options in high-tech. The program
culminates with a graduation ceremony to be held at Finger Lakes Community College. Last year, 28 students from
Canandaigua, Geneva and Victor high schools attended the program.
For more information, or to apply to the program, call (585) 919-3081 or email david.gottfried@itcmems.com. Applica-
tions will be accepted until Friday, July 31st and are available online for download at www.ITCMEMS.com.
Partners & Sponsors: Infotonics Technology Center Postage Paid
Corporate: 5450 Campus Drive
Corning Incorporated
Eastman Kodak Company Canandaigua, NY 14424
ITT Corporation
Xerox Corporation
Education:
City College of the City
University of New York
Clarkson University
Cornell University
Cornell NanoScale Science &
Technology Facility
Finger Lakes Community College
Monroe Community College
Rochester Institute of Technology
Syracuse University
University at Binghamton (SUNY)
University at Buffalo (SUNY)
University of Rochester
Government:
Army Research Labs
Empire State Development Corp.
U.S. Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Defense
Ontario County
THE OFFICIAL E-NEWSLETTER OF ITC www.ITCMEMS.com 4