Richard Fair is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He received his Ph.D. degree from Duke University in 1969. His research interests have been in semiconductor devices and processes, and he started the field of Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD)with his early work in process modeling and simulation at Bell Labs. His research areas now focus on microfluidic systems with biomedical applications.

Biographical Information

In 1969 Dr. Fair joined the Semiconductor Device Laboratory, Bell Laboratories, Reading, PA. His primary responsibilities were in the application of advanced technologies to the fabrication of bipolar and field-effect transistors. He applied ion implantation to forming the base regions in the first arsenic emitter bipolar microwave transistors. The resulting devices briefly held the world’s record for highest ft. Dr. Fair also worked with Dr. Al Cho at Bell Labs to build the first Schottky barrier gate FETs made in MBE. He also worked on the development of ion implanted power transistors, implanted IMPATT diodes, and other high frequency devices, both silicon and gallium arsenide. In 1978 he formed a new group in analog CMOS whose goal was to design mixed-signal ICs in digital CMOS technology.

In addition to device design at Bell Labs, Dr. Fair did some of the early work on computer modeling of silicon processes. This work was driven by a lack of design aids available to silicon process and device engineers. Some of the work that came out of this effort at Bell Labs included models that described dopant diffusion, electrically active solubility of dopants, and cooperative diffusion effects based on a multiple-charge-state vacancy model. These models detailed the interactions between dopants and point defects in silicon. Models were incorporated into the first silicon process simulation program, PROSIM, during 1971-1977. The SUPREM series of simulation software, subsequently developed at Stanford University, leveraged Dr. Fair’s work on modeling. By the 1980’s process simulation was used by semiconductor companies worldwide.

In 1981 Dr. Fair joined MCNC in Research Triangle Park, NC as a vice president with a joint appointment at Duke University as Professor of Electrical Engineering. While at MCNC he studied transient diffusion effects during rapid thermal annealing, and first proposed that ion implantation damage annealing caused transient-enhanced diffusion (TED). He developed the first computational models for TED which were incorporated into the PREDICT process simulator. While at MCNC Dr. Fair participated in the development of the first one million transistor processor chip. In 1994 Dr. Fair returned full time to Duke University. At Duke he developed the first quantitative simulation model of boron diffusion through ultra thin silicon dioxide and nitrided oxides. This model is now available in commercial software. He also has developed a new microfluidics technology that has been termed “digital microfluidics”, and is based upon electrowetting actuation of droplets for use in lab-on-a-chip applications.

Dr. Fair is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society. He has served as Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices (1990-1993) and is past Editor-In-Chief of the Proceedings of the IEEE (1993-2000). He received the IEEE Third Millennium Medal in 2000, and the 2003 Solid State Science and Technology Award from the Electrochemical Society. He has published 140 papers in technical journals, contributed chapters to 10 books, edited eight more books, and given over 100 invited talks. He and his wife Clare especially enjoy Duke basketball and three beautiful grandchildren.

Research Interests

droplet-based microfluidics
biomedical applications of microfluidics
semiconductor devices and processing
semiconductor process modeling

Distinctions

"Outstanding Young Electrical Engineer of the Year" Award, 1974 -National Award from Eta Kappa Nu.
Fellow Award, IEEE, 1990
Fellow Award, Electrochemical Society, 1994
Professor James F. Gibbons Achievement Award, 4th International Conference on Advanced Thermal Processing, 1996
Third Millennium Medal, IEEE, 2000
Solid State Science and Technology Award – The Electrochemical Society, 2003

Related Links
www.ee.duke.edu/research/microfluidics/