2009 Women of Color Award Winners
TECHNICAL TECHNICAL INNOVATION
INNOVATION
Piali De
Patty Chang-Chien, PhD
Engineering Fellow
Raytheon Company
Section Manager (Wafer Scale As-
sembly) Semiconductor Products,
BA, MA– physics, Hunter College of CUNY
Microelectronics
PhD – physics, Brown University
Northrop Grumman Corporation
BSc – electrical engineering, Califor-
nia Institute of Technology
Increasingly, military and civil-defense
MS – electrical engineering, Uni-
versity of California, Los Angeles
leaders need an integrated, intelligent
PhD – University of Michigan, decision-support system that can acquire, fuse, distribute,
Ann Arbor
and protect information seamlessly to provide decision-mak-
ers with enhanced individual and situational understanding,
as well as foster effective collaboration between disparate
Patty Chang-Chien has demonstrated an amazing ability to
organizations.
push the state of the art in the fi eld of microelectronics.
To help meet those needs, Piali De and her team developed
She joined Northrop Grumman’s microelectronics organiza-
an intelligent system that consists of an ontological frame-
tion in 2002. Continuing what began in her doctoral research
work, domain independent knowledge generation, integra-
at the University of Michigan, Dr. Chang-Chien is leading
tion and reasoning agents, as well as various visualization
development of revolutionary 3-dimensional, wafer-level-pack-
concepts. These innovations have been prototyped into a
aging technologies for microelectronic products. The technol-
system called Confl uence—a technology that can be ap-
ogy provides a 1,000-times reduction in the size and weight of
plied to public-safety issues, pandemic crises, response to
electronic modules, and orders of magnitude-scale reductions
natural disasters, military missions, and situations that require
in cost for advanced electronics packages.
multiple organizations to analyze data simultaneously and
This dramatic size and weight reduction of the new wafer-level
respond in unison.
packaging designs allow for a signifi cant reduction in electron-
Ontology-based situational understanding and decision sup-
ics payload size and weight—improving the performance of
port has a potential near-term value greater than $1 billion.
nearly all Northrop Grumman space and air vehicles. The re-
The innovation will transform how complex mission decision-
markable success has enabled Northrop Grumman Aerospace
making is done in the near future.
Systems to win multiple technology development contracts
from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
Dr. De joined Raytheon in 1996. Her work has involved
and other military customers with a total value of more than
R&D in future systems and capabilities, and her exceptional
$100 million.
leadership has provided the fi rm’s integrated defense systems
business with a roadmap to solutions for complex customer
This new wafer-level package assembly can be used to create
problems and offer signifi cant sales growth.
hermetically sealed chip sets that replace present-day mod-
ules. The new electronics packaging technology will impact
She has developed innovative concepts and advanced capa-
nearly all future intelligence, sensing, reconnaissance, commu-
bilities for systems and then led teams of engineers, computer
nications and radar systems.
scientists and technicians in building prototypes. Her inven-
tions can be found in the areas of intelligent systems, mission
Current intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, com-
profi ling and knowledge-management awareness, and deci-
munication and radar systems use monolithic microwave
sion support. Her recent advances include patents in mission
integrated circuits (MMICs), packaged in metal housings—
profi ling, domain-independent command, and domain-inde-
typically using wire bonds and adhesives to mount chips in an
pendent command-control system architectures.
integrated microwave assembly (IMA). Wafer-level packaging
replaces these heavy, metal IMAs with an elegant, small and
Dr. De approaches public service efforts the way she handles
lightweight package that provides protection from environ-
engineering problems: Right at the root of the issues.
mental effects and improves performance at the same time.
In addition to mentoring her engineering colleagues, she
Dr. Chang-Chien has produced multiple technology break-
started a free-tuition elementary school for the children of
throughs. Her work has been recognized with three US pat-
poor farmers near Kolkata in west Bengal, India, in February
ents and eight trade secrets, and she has published more than
2007. The Jhalak School offers a curriculum that supplements
40 technical papers. She also has mentored and taught several
the offerings in local government-run schools. Jhalak School
younger engineers, who now are supporting wafer-level-pack-
also provides breakfast and homework help before the stu-
aging technology.
dents’ regular school day begins. After the offi cial school day
ends, young Bengali students return to The Jhalak School for
classes in art, music, geography and physical education.
44 WOMENOFCOLOR | FALL 2009
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