Dr. Robert Dutton (Source: EDA Consortium)

Today the Electronic Design Automation (EDA) Consortium will present the Phil Kaufman Award at its 13th annual Kaufman Award dinner and ceremony in Santa Clara. This year Dr. Robert Dutton, Robert and Barbara Kleist professor of engineering at Stanford University and director of the Integrated Circuits Laboratory, has been chosen as recipient.

A pioneering scholar and researcher, Dr. Dutton is being honored for his contributions to the EDA industry in the area of computer simulation of integrated circuit (IC) technology. Dr. Dutton’s work in both IC fabrication process modeling and electrical behavior modeling of devices and circuits resulted in the SUPREM (Stanford University Process Engineering Models) and PISCES (Poisson and Continuity Equation Solver) simulation tools and software, which have been broadly adopted by the industry and used widely in support of technology development. Dr. Dutton’s work continues to be a key factor in the development of new technologies, including those in the emerging field of nano-electronics.

During his career, Dr. Dutton co-founded the first TCAD company, Technology Modeling Associates (TMA). Serving as a director of TMA, Dr. Dutton promoted the growth of the TCAD industry and played an instrumental role in TMA becoming a public company. With TMA’s subsequent merger with Avant! (today part of Synopsys), TCAD was integrated into the broader EDA industry.