North American Ellipsometry Association

John A. Woollam

J.A. Woollam Co., Inc. & University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA)

For having made pioneering, life-long contributions to the development, application, dissemination, and education in the field of spectroscopic ellipsometry.

Professor John A. Woollam is President and Founder of the J.A. Woollam Co., Inc. and George Holmes Distinguished University Professor, Professor of Physics (joint appointment), and Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  Prior to his tenure at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, John directed the Cryophysics Section at NASA Lewis Research Center, and he was Visiting Scientist at the MIT’s Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory.  John obtained a M.S. in  Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 1978, a Ph.D.  and M.Sc. in Solid State Physics from Michigan State University in 1967 and 1963, respectively, and a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Kenyon College.  John is a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), and a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society (AVS).  He is the recipient of the 2012 Industrial Applications of Physics Award of the American Physical Society, the 2018 Dr. Prem S. Paul Innovator of the Year Award of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the 2017 R. F. Bunshah Award of the Internat. Conf. Met. Coatings and Thin Films, and he received two honorary Doctorates from Kenyon College, Gambier, OH in 2008, and Linkoping University, Sweden in 2004.  John has published over 437 refereed articles, has given over 478 society meetings presentations, received over 8,300 citations, and his h-index is 45.  John holds over 65 patents, and he is the Founder of the J.A. Woollam Foundation, which is active in support of land conservation and ICSE Conferences.  His Foundation has endowed Scholarships at UNL Teachers College, UNL Engineering College, and Kenyon College.

David E. Aspnes

North Carolina State University (USA)

For the development of fundamental theories of the linear and nonlinear optical properties of materials and thin films, and for pioneering the field of spectroscopic ellipsometry.

David Aspnes is Distinguished University Professor of Physics Emeritus at North Carolina State University.  He received BSEE and MSEE degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1960 and 1961, and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign in 1965.  Following a year as a postdoctoral research associate at UIUC and another at Brown University, he joined Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ, as a Member of the Technical Staff in the Surface Physics Research Department, where his interests lay in the investigations of surfaces under ambient conditions.  In 1984 he became Head of the Interface Physics Department of the newly created Bellcore.  He joined NC State University 1992.  He is best known for his experimental and theoretical work on the development and application of optical techniques for the analysis of surfaces, interfaces, thin films, structures, and materials.  These include the theory and practice of spectroscopic ellipsometry, modulation spectroscopy, reflectance difference spectroscopy, and nonlinear optics.  Professional recognitions include fellowships in various professional societies, the R. W. Wood Prize of the Optical Society of America, the Medard W. Welch Award of the American Vacuum Society, the Mentor Award of the Society of Vacuum Coaters, election to the US National Academy of Sciences, and being named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors.  He has an h-index of 76, 23 patents, and over 500 publications in scientific journals.  Although retired, he remains active on graduate committees, developing methods of eliminating noise and extracting information from spectra, and writing a textbook on classical electrodynamics.