BIOGRAPHY
Mike Mills is a Sr. Fellow at Qnity and previously served as a Sr. Technical Fellow in DuPont’s Electronics & Industrial Business / Emerging Technologies focusing on Semiconductor & Integrated Circuit Technologies and the convergence of these manufacturing technologies. He has been with Dow Chemical / DuPont for almost 35 years.
Most recently Mike’s focus was on Chemical Mechanical Planarization Technologies (CMPT) growth>with a focus on improved CMP pad materials, CMP slurry materials, Post CMP Cleans, new CMP opportunities and improved fundamental material science understandings.
Mike spent 29 years with Dow Chemical and the last 5 years at DuPont. While at Dow Chemical, he focused on Engineered Carbon Fiber (EFC) manufacturing technology & Intellectual Strategy Portfolio development before joining the Dow Chemical CMPT R&D in Newark, DE. Mike was integral to the team which developed and launched the Dow POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle system, a residential BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) product based on CIGS solar cells. Mike was the Principal Investigator (PI) for the Solar America Initiative program ($28MM) awarded to the Dow Chemical for the development of the POWERHOUSE™ Shingle System. Mike led the Module and Packaging Technology Working Group and participated on the Executive Committee which delivered the inaugural US CIGS Photovoltaic Technology Roadmap in 2013.
At mid-career, Mike was involved for 14 years in the invention and commercialization of CYCLOTENE™ 5000 series ultra-high purity dielectric, SiLK™ Semiconductor Dielectric Resin, and porous SiLK™ Semiconductor Dielectric Resin for use in integrated circuit manufacturing at Fujitsu, Sony, Toshiba, and Canon. During that time, Mike was an active member of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) developing the dielectric and interconnects technology roadmap as well as co-organizing the MRS session on low dielectric constant materials for ICs in 1999, Co-editor Vol 565. Mike maintained his executive committee position for the Advanced Metallization Conference for 6 years during this time and Co-chaired the conference in 2006.
Early-career, Mike spent four years co-developing the world-scale fiber spinning process to produce PBO fibers as a joint development activity achieving a world record for fiber strength; the fiber is currently manufactured and sold under the trade name of ZYLON™ by Toyobo Corporation, Japan.
Mike received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Ceramic Science and Engineering from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, graduating in 1989. Mike has completed executive training in New Technology Development and Management at Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business (1999). Mike is the holder of over 45 US Patents and pending Applications; additionally published, presented and has been an invited speaker internationally on topics of fiber optics, high strength polymer fibers, semiconductor materials and processing as well as photovoltaics and solar energy.
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