Introductory Overview:  Polymers in Advanced Semiconductor Technologies

Live virtual short course

October 20-21, 2026

Sponsored by the Golden Gate Polymer Forum.

This course provides an overview of polymer materials commonly implemented in semiconductor technologies, ranging from precision patterning to packaging applications. Presentations will highlight key applications in semiconductor technologies, polymer classes and chemistries, structure-process-property relationships, and relevant characterization techniques and analyses.  Case studies will be employed to highlight the application, utility and nuances of chip and device level considerations, and relevant measurement approaches through real data. The course is designed for all education levels and is accessible even with minimal polymer materials background.

LIST OF TOPICAL AREAS:

- Polymer design considerations for semiconductor technologies: from photolithography through device packaging
- Chemistries and characterization techniques for probing critical application-specific properties
- Rheological experiments to assess processibility and influence of processing on performance
- Topical examples around emerging technologies

INSTRUCTORS:

Tim Long (TL)

Arizona State University
School of Molecular Sciences
Biodesign Institute
School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy
Biodesign Center for Sustainable Macromolecular Materials and Manufacturing
https://longgroup.asu.edu/

Mike Bortner (MB)

Virginia Tech
Department of Chemical Engineering
Macromolecules Innovation Institute
https://www.bortnerlab.com/

Bob Allen (BA)

National Lab of the Rockies (formerly NREL)
Senior Research Fellow
https://research-hub.nlr.gov/en/persons/bob-allen/

Dr. Kyle Arrington (KA)

Intel
Materials Engineering R&D Technologist
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-arrington-628654bb

LECTURE OUTLINE:

1.5 day course, all times Pacific Time

Day 1

8:30  - Introductory Statements from GGPF

8:45  KA1 - More Than Moore: Semiconductor Packaging 101  -  Basics

9:45  break

10:00 BA1 - Moore’s Law: Lithography 101 and Design of Photoresists for Semiconductor Manufacturing

11:00 break

11:15 TL1 - Structure-Property Relationships for Polymeric Networks; Crosslinked Epoxies and Composites  

12:15 Lunch break

1:15 MB1 - Chemorheology: Characterizing Light and Thermal Curing Processing Behavior  

2:15 break

2:30  KA2 - Advanced Packaging Integration – (2.5 D, Die Stacking, Advanced Thermals, and Silicon Photonics)

3:30 break

3:45 BA2 - Photo-Definable Packaging Materials: Strategy, Fundamentals, and Materials

Day 2

8:30 TL2 - Siloxanes for Adhesion Performance: Thermal and Surface Analysis Techniques

9:30 break

9:45 MB2 - Rheology of Particle-Filled Systems

10:45 – break

11:00 – 12:00 all - Future Chemistry Challenges

LOGISTICAL NOTES AND REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

EVENT DATES:

Tuesday October 20 (full day) and Wednesday October 21, 2026 (half day)
Each day's lectures begin 8:30 AM Pacific time
Class materials will be presented using Zoom Webinar. Registrants will receive webinar information shortly before the class begins.

PRICING AND DEADLINES:

Registration deadline dates are tiered, with early, regular, and late registration fees.  All deadline times are Pacific time.

$275 early registration ends Sunday, August 2, 11:59 PM

$375 regular registration ends Monday, October 5, 8:00 PM

$425 late registration, if still available, ends Saturday, October 17, 8:00 PM

No registration is complete until payment is received.
No registrations allowed after 8 PM October 17.
GGPF may close registration earlier if in our opinion class size is becoming too large.

REGISTRATION INFO AND CANCELLATION POLICY:

Register with the form on the GGPF web page:  Register with the form below. Please pay by credit card or PayPal on the GGPF secure registration form. If you absolutely must pay by check, contact GGPF well in advance for information to send checks to our Treasurer.

• No cancellations or refunds are allowed after end of Regular Registration, at 8:00 PM, Oct. 5.  If you cancel before then, you will receive a refund (minus a $50 processing fee).  If you find that you are unable to attend the course after that date, another member of your organization may be substituted for no extra cost.   In the unlikely event that the short course is cancelled by GGPF, you will receive a complete refund (no processing fee).
• If your company requires it, the GGPF Tax ID number will be provided to you by e-mailing a request to Jennifer Hoffman.  Please note that the conference registration fee covers the short course expenses and is not a tax-deductible donation.
• An automated e-mail receipt will be provided as soon as you register and is usually sufficient for corporate reimbursement. If you require a hard copy receipt, please contact Jennifer Hoffman and one can be mailed to you.
• Please register with the email you intend to use for the Zoom event when the class is live. Class Zoom info will be linked to your email account used for registration.  If you need to change the email after registration has already occurred, contact GGPF.
• Course protocols and Zoom information will be provided at minimum one day before the course begins, with reminders afterwards. PLEASE NOTE:  Course-related emails will come from “events@ggpf.ccsend.com”.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For general questions, including about course content, contact Clayton Henderson, macro2nano@verizon.net.  Please make the subject line of the note include "GGPF Short Course".  Be sure to write if you have not received the course info and Zoom links by the day before, Monday Oct. 19.

For questions about registration, such as payment problems, web page issues, cancellations, substitutions or requests to pay by check, contact Jennifer Hoffman, Jennifer.Hoffman@me.eurofinsus.com

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT EMAILS:

Registrants will be added to the GGPF email announcements list.  As a result, you will receive GGPF email announcements from our Constant Contact mail service, showing as coming from events@ggpf.ccsend.com.  Please put this address on your safe list.  On an ongoing basis, GGPF will send out 3 or 4 email announcements per month, and you should see those starting before the short course.  You may unsubscribe at any time from the mail list BUT DO NOT DO THAT BEFORE THE SHORT COURSE IS OVER, or you will miss information about the course that is sent out to registrants, including the Zoom information.

Webinar

Optimizing Polymer Synthesis and Advanced Material Processes with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Prof. Rigoberto Advincula

University of Tennessee

Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Thursday, November 12, 2026

Webinar at 6:00 PM Pacific time

Abstract

Synthesis chemistry has long benefited from automation, mainly through combinatorial methods and flow reaction synthesis. In flow reaction chemistry, chemical reaction engineering models and methods can control reaction thermodynamics and kinetics, leading to higher yields and unique reaction pathways. Polymer materials provide unique application opportunities for composites, nanocomposites, high-temperature thermoplastics, and hybrid materials where additive manufacturing or 3D printing has shown convergence between design principles and thermo-mechanical property optimization. Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) can optimize material synthesis routes and advanced manufacturing processes. Large language models (LLMs) and continuous flow reaction chemistry will enable unit-operation optimization and autonomous machine learning with self-driving laboratories (SDL). We discuss the augmented use of AI/ML in flow reaction chemistry, assays, and the 3D printing of nanocomposites for lightweight, high-strength applications with sensors. With AI/ML and SDLs, we demonstrate the path to autonomous experimental stations and system optimization. Our data includes small-molecule synthesis, nanoparticle grafting, and controlled polymerization methods. By developing AI/ML workflows and digital twins, we can connect agentic AI with physical AI in both chemistry and materials synthesis. Several examples of these will be described.

Speaker Background

Rigoberto Advincula is a Governor’s Chair Professor of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the University of Tennessee. He is also a Group Leader at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), ORNL. His areas of expertise include organic and polymer chemistry, nanomaterials, coatings, flow chemistry and reaction engineering, additive manufacturing, and biomaterials. He has led major projects, including a machine learning (ML)-driven autonomous self-driving lab at ORNL and advanced nanocomposite manufacturing with the DOE.

Prof. Advincula is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the American Chemical Society (ACS), both the PMSE and POLY Divisions of ACS, the Materials Research Society, the Royal Society of Chemistry, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE).  He was the Netzsch 2023 Fellow of the North American Thermal Analysis Society (NATAS), and is the current President of NATAS. In 2024, he received the International Prize of the Society of Polymer Science of Japan (SPSJ), and recently received the 2026 George Stafford Whitby Award from the ACS Rubber Division.

He has been appointed to the World Economic Forum, Advanced Materials Council, and is a member of the Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology (BCST) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).  He has held several visiting Professor positions, including Waseda University in Japan and the Max Planck Institute for Polymers (MPI-P) Research in Germany.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Florida and held postdoctoral positions at the MPI-P and Stanford University. In addition to his research interests, he is passionate about mentoring students and establishing interdisciplinary STEM programs.

Registration deadline: Wednesday, November 11, 1:00 PM.

Registration may close earlier than the nominal deadline if capacity is reached.

This event will be FREE OF CHARGE, but we still require you to fill out the registration form. In particular, we need to have your name and email address for you to be able to participate. Please provide affiliation also if you can, as it helps us judge audience interests.

If you can spare a small amount, GGPF requests an optional donation of $5 (or more) but this is not required to register and attend the webinar.

To register for free, use the pull-down toggle to select "All registrants ($0.00)" choice.

To donate, use the pull down toggle to select "GGPF donation ($5.00)". This will direct you to a secure link where you can use PayPal or any credit or debit card. For larger donations, use the "Donate to GGPF" link on the front page GGPF.org

Webinar Timing: 6:00 PM.

(Zoom meeting room will open earlier)

Attendees who complete the registration form will receive information by email for how to participate. It is requested that people join the meeting invitation well before 6:00 PM to avoid delays.

Registrants will receive the information needed to join the webinar within a day of the event in an email from “events@ggpf.ccsend.com”. To be certain of seeing the note, please add events@ggpf.ccsend.com to your safe mail senders list, and/or look in your spam, updates, or other mailbox locations in addition to your primary Inbox.

Please register on the web page.

You should receive email confirmation of your registration; if not, please contact us again.

Do not reply to email from events@ggpf.ccsend.com

For questions or other assistance, contact:

Clayton Henderson

macro2nano@verizon.net

Attendees will be added to the GGPF email announcements list unless they request otherwise.