Hariklia (Lili) Deligianni was for three decades at IBM’s Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY and played a leading role in the successful introduction of electrochemical technology in semiconductor chips. The electrochemical fabrication of solder bumps became the standard in the electronic industry for joining silicon chips to packages. She co-invented and developed the copper electrodeposition process for on-chip interconnects. The introduction of electroplated copper interconnects has revolutionized the performance of computer chips. For the patents associated with the copper interconnect process, she received the 2006 Inventor of the Year Award of the New York Intellectual Property Law Association and IBM Corporate Awards. For these technologies, the IBM team was recognized in 2004 with the U.S. National Medal of Technology and Innovation.
Dr. Deligianni has a proven track record in R&D and commercialization of electronic components for the semiconductor and telecommunications industries. She and her team demonstrated the first integrated with electronics Micro-Electro-Mechanical RF switch for wireless applications. Furthermore, she has worked on integrated miniaturized power converters that will enable real-time power management of next generation 5G mobile devices.
Deligianni has also contributed significantly in renewable energy and more specifically in the development of low-cost advanced manufacturing roll-to-roll methods for thin film solar cells. She partnered with a thin film solar company and developed electrodeposited CuInGaSe2 (CIGS) which scaled-up to 60 cm x 120 cm full panel size. This technology has the potential to be used in electric cars to charge batteries and in the building sector.
Dr. Deligianni has worked on a wide range of research including a DNA sequencing electrochemical device and more recently, developed a toolbox of nanomaterials and nanodevices for brain and peripheral neural stimulation, recordings and neurochemistry
measurements. Her current research interests include biosensors, bioelectronics and artificial intelligence with applications in neural and mental health.
Dr. Deligianni has co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and 230 issued patents and patent applications. Lili Deligianni received her Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She is a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society and the first female recipient of the Vittorio de Nora Award of the Electrochemical Society. Furthermore, she is recognized with the E.V. Murphy award of the American Chemical Society and is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.
She is a senior member of IEEE and of AIChE. She is a member of ACS, AAAS and ACM and served as chair of the Watson Women’s Network. She enjoys to organize Engineer’s week outreach in K-12 schools and is a role model and a mentor to numerous students who have an interest in STEM.