Tiptek Appoints Dr. Joshua Ballard to Lead Next-Gen Gigahertz Frequency Nanoprobe Development

November 19, 2024 – Today, Tiptek, LLC announces the appointment of Dr. Joshua Ballard to lead the development of cutting-edge gigahertz frequency nanoprobes for the electrical failure analysis of advanced semiconductors. This effort is funded through the U.S. Department of Commerce CHIPS for America Act NIST metrology program through its SBIR office.

Dr. Ballard has exceptional qualifications to lead this effort. He is an expert in nanofabrication with multiple decades of experience in scanned probe lithography. Possessing multiple patents and publications related to probe processing and creation, Dr. Ballard brings a strong background both in research and in science administration to the role of Associate Director of Technology Development. He received his A.B. Cum Laude in Psychology from Harvard College, earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Colorado studying atomic, molecular, and optical physics with Prof. Stephen Leone, and held a Beckman Fellowship at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign working with Profs. Joseph Lyding and Martin Gruebele to integrate optical spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy.

"I am pleased to join Tiptek's efforts to develop new gigahertz frequency nanoprobes and look forward to helping bring this technology to those engineers challenged with diagnosing electrical failures in advanced semiconductors, such as AI chips" said Dr. Ballard.

"We are thrilled to have Josh join us," says Tiptek CEO Dr. Scott Lockledge. "He brings his considerable experience in tip-based spectroscopy and lithography to this critical project, which will help our customers meet the significant challenges created by semiconductor advances like back-side power distribution and chips with transistors that now number in the trillions."

Dr. Ballard's appointment reaffirms Tiptek's commitment to creating cutting edge nanoprobing solutions for problems faced by the semiconductor failure analysis community.  Dr. Ballard will be working in Tiptek's research and development facilities in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois.