Smith named Fellow of Optical Society of America

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Bruce Smith

Rochester Institute of Technology Professor Bruce Smith has been elected a Fellow of the Optical Society of America. Smith, director of RIT’s microsystems engineering program and a member of the society, was recognized for his influential work in the area of nanolithography and the education of optical engineers in the fields of micro- and nano-technology.

“This certainly is an honor to be recognized and elected as a Fellow of the OSA,” says Smith. “This is especially meaningful to me, given RIT’s historical strength and foundation in optics, imaging and engineering.”

The Optical Society of America is an international organization with more than 18,000 members and brings together optics and photonics scientists, engineers, educator and business leaders. Society Fellows are selected based on their impact on the optics field, a record of research publications or patents, technical leadership in the field and service to the organization. The process is competitive, and Smith is among only a small percentage of members to achieve the designation in this year’s class.

A member of the faculty since 1988, Smith is currently a professor and directs research activities in the Nanolithography Research Laboratory in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. His areas of expertise include high-resolution semiconductor lithography, thin film materials, and optical systems. Smith is a recognized leader in the field of nanolithography, impacting the world semiconductor industry though invention, innovation and the dissemination of enabling technological advances. His many contributions to these fields include phase shift masking, illumination systems, polarized imaging and water immersion lithography.

He has published more than 200 papers, a textbook and several book chapters. He also holds 27 patents in the areas of illumination systems, masking devices, optical system design and materials engineering, several of which have been licensed for commercialization.

Smith is also a Fellow of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering. He is a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the American Vacuum Society, the Society for Information Display and the American Society for Engineering Education. He has served as visiting professor with SEMATECH at the University of Texas, Austin as well as at international semiconductor research organization IMEC in Leuven, Belgium. His previous awards include the SPIE Research Mentor Award, the RIT Trustees Excellence in Scholarship Award, the Rush Henrietta Outstanding Alumni Award and the RIT Creators Award.

The full list of Fellows, including Smith, will be published in the February issue of Optics and Photonics News.

“On behalf of the OSA, it is my pleasure to congratulate the 2013 Fellows on this special recognition of their outstanding accomplishments,” said Tony Heinz, president of the society. “These new Fellows, located across the globe, are making vital contributions to advancing optics and photonics worldwide.”