Rising Technical Contributor Award
Ingrid Liao
Intel Corporation
For significant contributions to semiconductor materials research and engineering; and for consistent, passionate support of women engineers and underrepresented minorities in STEM.
Ingrid Liao is a technology development engineer with Intel Corporation, where she worked on developing processes and materials for both lithography patterning as well as epitaxial thin films for next generation processors. In addition to her materials development work, she is responsible for 24/7 on call coverage, ownership of multiple processing tool sets, driving cost projects for the equipment and materials used in her group, and leading a workplace culture reform task force.
Liao has contributed to five lithography development projects where she researched the behavior and quality yields of existing techniques, ran experiments to analyze behavior change, and improved individual steps to refine the overall targeted process. The results from her projects have enabled a large cost reduction on materials usage for technology that is implemented across Intel’s fabrication facilities around the world. Her work in recipe development was recognized with Intel’s 2020 Technology Manufacturing Group Quality Award and the 2020 Logic Technology Development Department Recognition Award.
In addition to her full-time role, Liao pursued an internal opportunity to work as a product marketing engineer developing assets that highlight the strengths and versatility of Intel’s processor lines against those of industry competitors. She juggled both jobs simultaneously.
While at the University of California, Riverside, Liao researched single-layer 2D transition metal dichalcogenide materials and their electronic properties for transistors and future semiconductor applications. She was a recipient of the Semiconductor Research Corporation’s STARnet research fellowship in the summer of 2015 and part of the top 12% of fellows selected to present their research findings at TechCon in Austin, Texas.
Though focused on technical projects, Liao is highly involved in her community, both inside and outside of work. She is engaged with Intel’s Next(Gen) employee resource group, where she co-developed and launched Intel’s first cooking show, and story sharing platform, “The Kitchen Circuit.” Liao also participates with Intel Involved, where she leads STEM demos for local K-12 students.
Devoted to supporting women, minorities, and the underrepresented in STEM, Liao leads SWE’s Columbia River Section (CRS) as the president elect and previously served as the branding and marketing chair for the last two years. She represents CRS at Intel in Oregon, helping her section drive workshops for local Girl Scouts to earn their robotics and engineering patches, representing Intel Corporation at the SWE annual conference, and mentoring K-12 students in the Portland, Oregon, area. She recently became a coach for the SWE leadership coaching committee (LCC) and mentors nine collegiate SWE sections. Liao also represented SWE at the Congressional Outreach Event in April where she advocated for minorities and the disadvantaged in STEM to U.S. senators.
Liao held multiple leadership positions in her university career, including graduate chair for the UC Riverside chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and president of IEEE’s Eta Kappa Nu (Lambda Sigma chapter) honor society. She holds a B.S. in chemistry and an M.S. in materials science and engineering from UC Riverside. In her free time, Liao is an avid traveler, enjoys visiting art museums, and frequents hot yoga and spin classes.