AMD & IBM Veteran Joins sp3 Diamond To Enhance MEMS Processes
Mario Pelella will push the development of all of sp3's semiconductor and MEMS-related diamond products and solutions
To support the growing adoption of diamond in electronics, sp3 Diamond Technologies, Inc. (sp3), a supplier of diamond products, deposition equipment and services, has appointed Mario M. Pelella, Ph.D., as vice president of engineering.
In this role, he will lead the Technology and Process Solutions group, with responsibility for the development and technical success of all of sp3's semiconductor and MEMS-related diamond products and solutions. At the same time, the company announced that co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) Jerry Zimmer has been named CTO Emeritus and will remain actively engaged with sp3.
"Diamond is truly entering the mainstream as a material that can solve a number of current bottlenecks in semiconductor and MEMS manufacturing, thereby improving device performance," says Dwain Aidala, president and CEO of sp3 Diamond Technologies.
"In light of the rapidly increasing adoption of diamond, Mario's experience and ability to drive innovative technology solutions will strengthen sp3's ability to effectively address market requirements. His extensive experience in the semiconductor industry makes him an ideal fit for our organisation," he continues.
Pelella brings a strong background in solid-state device physics, design and modelling, and characterisation to sp3's multi-faceted engineering department. He is skilled in the fundamentals and of bulk-silicon and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOS transistor and passive device technologies, high-voltage LDMOS design, bipolar device design, ESD protection and arcing and charging related yield issues.
Most recently, Pelella served as the director of technology solutions at SVTC Technologies. There, he was responsible for developing SVTC's technology roadmap for the semiconductor, aerospace and defence, MEMS, life science, photonic and energy industries. Prior to that, he held positions with tau-Metrix, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and IBM.
At tau -Metix, Pelella was employed as VP of Engineering, while at IBM and AMD, he held senior device design, modelling, and technology development positions.
Pelella earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Florida and BSEE and MSEE degrees from Clarkson University. He holds over 50 US patents and 15 worldwide patents and is the author of more than 60 publications, including three that earned Best Paper awards.
