Professor Emeritus Hank Smith honored for pioneering work in nanofabrication

Nanostructures are a magnificent selection of elaborate patterns that are invisible to the human eye, yet they aid power modern-day life. They are the foundation of silicon chip transistors, engraved onto grating substratums of space-based X-ray telescopes, and drive technologies in medication, sustainability, and quantum computer.

Given That the 1970s, Henry “Hank” Smith, MIT teacher emeritus of electric design, has actually been a leading pressure in this area. He originated making use of closeness X-ray lithography, verifying that X-rays’ brief optical wavelength can generate high-resolution patterns at the nanometer range. Smith likewise made substantial innovations in phase-shifting masks (PSMs), a method that interferes with light waves to boost comparison. His style of undermined PSMs, which he co-created with college students Mark Schattenburg PhD ʼ84 and Erik H. Anderson ʼ81, SM ʼ84, PhD ʼ88, is still made use of today in the semiconductor market.

In acknowledgment of these payments, in addition to very significant success in liquid-immersion lithography, achromatic-interference lithography, and zone-plate selection lithography, Smith just recently got the2025 SPIE Frits Zernike Award for Microlithography Offered by the Culture of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the distinction identifies researchers for their exceptional success in microlithographic modern technology.

” The Zernike Honor is a remarkable honor that appropriately identifies Hank’s introducing payments,” claims Karl Berggren, MIT’s Joseph F. and Nancy P. Keithley Teacher in Electric Design and professors head of electric design. “Whether it remained in the class, at a study meeting, or in the laboratory, Hank approached his deal with a high degree of clinical roughness that aided make him years in advance of market methods.”

Currently 88 years of ages, Smith has actually amassed numerous various other honors. He was likewise granted the SPIE BACUS Reward, called a participant of the National Academy of Design, and is an other of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, IEEE, the National Academy of Inventors, and the International Culture for Nanomanufacturing.

Jump-starting the nano frontier

From a very early age, Smith was captivated by the globe around him. He uncoupled clocks to see just how they functioned, discovered the outdoors, and also observed the motion of water. After finishing from senior high school in New Jacket, Smith learnt physics at University of the Holy Cross. From there, he sought his doctorate at Boston University and offered 3 years as a policeman in the united state Flying Force.

It was his task at MIT Lincoln Laboratory that eventually altered Smith’s profession trajectory. There, he fulfilled site visitors from MIT and Harvard College that shared their concepts for digital and surface area acoustic wave tools yet were prevented by the physical restrictions of manufacture. Yet, couple of were inclined to tackle this difficulty.

” The task of making points was normally swept aside the table with, ‘oh well, we’ll obtain some professionals to do that,'” Smith claimed in his narrative history for the Facility for Nanotechnology in Culture. “And the intellectual material of manufacture modern technology was disliked by individuals that had actually been ‘commonly informed,’ I think.”

Extra curious about fixing troubles than keeping scholastic ranking, Smith laid out to recognize the scientific research of manufacture. His development in X-ray lithography indicated to the globe the possible and opportunities of working with the nanometer range, claims Schattenburg, that is an elderly research study researcher at MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.

” His very early job confirmed to individuals at MIT and scientists throughout the nation that nanofabrication had some value,” Schattenburg claims. “By revealing what was feasible, Hank actually jump-started the nano frontier.”

Splitting open lithography’s black box

By 1980, Smith left Lincoln Laboratory for MIT’s major university and remained to press ahead originalities in his NanoStructures Lab (NSL), previously the Submicron Structures Lab. NSL acted as both a study laboratory and a solution store that offered optical gratings, which are items of glass inscribed with sub-micron regular patterns, to the MIT area and outdoors researchers. It was an active time for the laboratory; NSL brought in college students and global site visitors. Still, Smith and his team guaranteed that anybody checking out NSL would certainly likewise get a guide on nanotechnology.

” Hank never ever desired anything we generated to be dealt with as a black box,” claims Mark Mondol, MIT.nano e-beam lithography domain name specialist that invested 23 years collaborating with Smith in NSL. “Hank was constantly really crazy about individuals recognizing our job and just how it occurs, and he was the ideal individual to describe it due to the fact that he spoke in really clear and standard terms.”

The physical NSL area in MIT Structure 39 shuttered in 2023, a years after Smith came to be an emeritus professor. NSL’s well-informed team and special abilities moved to MIT.nano, which currently works as MIT’s main center for sustaining nanoscience and nanotechnology innovations. Unstoppable, Smith remains to add his knowledge to the ever-expanding nano area by offering talks at the NSL Neighborhood Conferences at MIT.nano concentrated on lithography, nanofabrication, and their future.

Smith’s profession is much from full. Via his start-up LumArray, Smith remains to press the borders of expertise. He just recently developed a maskless lithography technique, referred to as X-ray Maskless Lithography (XML), that has the possible to reduced production prices of integrated circuits and combat the sale of imitation integrated circuits.

Dimitri Antoniadis, MIT teacher emeritus of electric design and computer technology, is Smith’s long time partner and buddy. According to him, Smith’s dedication to research study is almost exceptional.

” When teachers get to emeritus standing, we normally motivate and oversee research study,” Antoniadis claims. “It’s really uncommon for retired teachers to do all the job themselves, yet he enjoys it.”

Long-lasting impact

Smith’s heritage expands much past the cutting-edge devices and strategies he originated, claim his good friends, coworkers, and graduates. His unrelenting inquisitiveness and dedication to his college students aided move his area ahead.

He made a credibility for being in the front row at research study meetings, prepared to ask the very first concern. Other scientists occasionally feared seeing him there.

” Hank maintained us sincere,” Berggren claims. “Researchers and designers understood that they could not make an insurance claim that was a little also solid, or make use of information that really did not sustain the theory, due to the fact that Hank would certainly hold them liable.”

Smith never ever saw himself as playing the great police or negative police– he was just an interested student unafraid to look crazy.

” There are well-known individuals, Nobel Reward champions, that will certainly endure research study discussions and not have a hint regarding what’s taking place,” Smith claims. “That is an utter wild-goose chase. If I do not recognize something, I’m mosting likely to ask a concern.”

As a consultant, Smith held his college student to high requirements. If they came not really prepared or did not have understanding of their research study, he would certainly test them with challenging, ruthless inquiries. Yet, he was likewise their largest supporter, assisting pupils such as Lisa Su SB/SM ʼ91, PhD ʼ94, that is currently the chair and president of AMD, and Dario Gil PhD ʼ03, that is currently the chair of the National Scientific research Board and elderly vice head of state and supervisor of research study at IBM, prosper in the laboratory and past.

Study Professional James Daley has actually invested almost 3 years at MIT, a lot of them collaborating with Smith. Because time, he has actually seen numerous advisees graduate and go back to use their many thanks. “Hank’s graduates are throughout the globe,” Daley claims. “Several are currently teachers mentoring their very own college student and bringing with them a few of Hank’s design. They are his biggest heritage.”