Alchimer S.A., provider of nanometric deposition technology for semiconductor interconnects and through-silicon vias, announced today that W. R. (Bill) Bottoms, a veteran chip industry executive, investor and entrepreneur, has joined its board of directors.
Dr. Bottoms is an expert in both technological and business aspects of the chip industry, having founded, funded, or helped manage companies producing front-end equipment, packaging solutions, materials, and test equipment. He is most recently the founder, chairman and CEO of Third Millennium Test Solutions Inc. (3MTS). 3MTS’s software, equipment, and services verify the quality of customers’ electronic systems and components at the lowest cost and with the shortest time to market.
Dr. Bottoms, who chairs the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors Technical Working Group for Assembly and Packaging, served as chairman and CEO of Credence Systems Corp. before founding 3MTS in 1999. He also was senior vice president and general partner at Apax Partners, an international venture capital management firm, for more than 10 years.
“The Alchimer Electrografting technology is remarkable for its ability to create excellent films with a simple, low-cost process. It’s a very timely alternative to traditional processes for liner, barrier and seed layers in through-silicon vias,” Dr. Bottoms said. “In addition to having an enabling technology for 3D interconnects, Alchimer also has management that understands the dynamics of silicon manufacturing, and is able to create partnerships based on openness, collaboration, and effective engineering. I’m very excited about this company’s prospects.”
Electrografting (eG™) is an electrochemical process that enables the growth of extremely high quality polymer and metal thin films on both conducting and semiconducting surfaces. The company’s deposition technology reduces overall cost of ownership for high aspect ratio TSV metallization by up to two-thirds compared to conventional dry processes.
“Dr. Bottoms brings extraordinary breadth and depth of experience, particularly in packaging and assembly, to our board,” said Alchimer CEO Steve Lerner. “His interest in working with us is a strong endorsement of our technology and the value it offers the semiconductor industry.”
Earlier in his career, Dr. Bottoms served in various senior management positions at Varian Inc., including five years as first president of the company’s semiconductor equipment group. He was also a faculty member in Princeton University’s electrical engineering department.
Dr. Bottoms has been appointed to numerous industry, government and non-profit boards and committees, including chair of the subcommittee of the Technical Advisory Committee of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Export Control Commission for Semiconductor Equipment and Materials. In addition to chairing the ITRS Technical Working Group for Assembly and Packaging, he currently is chairman of the Technical Working Group for Packaging for the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative, and a member of Tulane University’s board of trustees.
He has a B.S. degree in physics from Huntington College, Montgomery, Ala., and a Ph.D. degree in solid state physics from Tulane University.
About Alchimer S.A.
Alchimer develops and markets innovative chemical formulations, processes and IP for the deposition of nanometric films used in both semiconductor interconnects and 3D TSVs (through-silicon vias). The company’s breakthrough technology, Electrografting (eG™), is an electrochemical-based process that enables the growth of very thin coatings, of various types, on both conducting and semiconducting surfaces. Based in Massy, France, Alchimer is a spin-off from the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA). Founded in 2001, it won the First National Award for the Creation of High Tech Companies from the French Minister of Research and Industry and is a Red Herring Top 100 European Company.
