Three names for one story: IMB-CNM honors three pioneers in microelectronics at the institute
Through an initiative of the IMB-CNM Equality Committee, three of the institute's meeting rooms have been renamed after research and technical personnel of relevance in its history: Tere Osés, Isabel Montero and Juan Fernández. All of them are pioneers in the design of digital circuits, the manufacture of integrated circuits and the development of power systems in Spain.
The Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC) pays tribute to three pioneers in the field of microelectronics in Catalonia and Spain: María Teresa Osés, a digital circuit designer; Isabel Montero, a specialist in semiconductor manufacturing; and Juan Fernández, a researcher in power devices. Their names now designate the institute's meeting rooms after a ceremony organized by the Equality Committee last October.
The event was attended by the families of the honorees and former IMB-CNM employees; some of the people who had worked with them spoke and their biographies were read. At the end, all the staff toured the facilities to watch the families unveil the curtains covering the new plaques.
The event was opened by Gemma Gabriel, as president of the IMB-CNM Equality Committee, followed by Luis Fonseca, as director of the institute. Co-workers were in charge of reading the biographies and sharing anecdotes with the audience. Jordi Sacristan and Lluís Terés intervened in the reading of Tere Osés; Miguel Zabala and Luis Fonseca did the same with Isabel Montero; and Salvador Hidalgo and José Rebollo concluded with the biography of Juan Fernández.
"We are paying tribute to their dedication and contribution to microelectronics technology, but we are also sending a clear message to all staff and creating new references for future generations," explains Gabriel, a researcher in the Biomedical Applications Group.
Three names for a history of the National Microelectronics Center
María Teresa Osés (known as Tere Osés, Pamplona, 1948-2009) was a researcher at the National Microelectronics Center (CNM) since its inauguration. With a degree in Physics, she specialized in digital circuit design in the 1980s. She was the founder of the Integrated Circuit Design Department of the institute, she was dedicated to the design of ASICS in MOS technologies. She is a pioneer in the design of integrated circuits in Spain.
Isabel Montero (Bages, 1958-2020) was an operations technician in the Micro and Nanofabrication Clean Room from its beginnings in the current facilities in 1991. She was in charge of the terms and photolithography processes in the afternoon shifts and became a key player in the operation of the room.
Juan Fernandez (Terrassa, 1961-1999) received his doctorate from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona specializing in the manufacture of low resistance VDMOS power devices in 1989. He started as a trainee in the CNM Power Devices group in 1986 and was one of the first members to work on the technology, modeling, numerical simulation and electrical characterization of power devices.
Equality Committee Initiative
This initiative is part of the visibility and awareness-raising objectives of the IMB-CNM Equality Committee, with the goal of creating new female references in the field of microelectronics and recognizing the historical work of those who have paved the way. The committee, formed by representatives of different groups of the center's staff, is a working group that promotes equality policies within the institute to favor a more diverse and inclusive science.
