The ion implantation community lost a key member when Mitchell Curtis Taylor passed away on November 27, 2020 from a heart attack. He was only 60 years old and still had many plans to contribute to his scientific field, including chairing the 23rd International Conference on Ion Implantation Technology (now IIT 2022), which unfortunately was not able to take place during his lifetime due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mitch was born on June 5, 1960 in Fallon, Nevada. He attended a one-room schoolhouse in southeast Oregon for several years and then returned to Fallon, where he was a star athlete in high school. He played football, wrestled, and ran track, leading his football team to the state championships and setting a state record for hurdles. He then attended Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he played football, wrestled and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry.
Mitch began his career in ion implantation when he joined Intel in 1984 as a process, equipment and operations engineer. He became the Ion Implant Group Leader in 1986 and served in that role until 2005. During that time, he led the development of all implant processes for two decades of Intel device generations, adopted advanced annealing technology into the Intel process flow, and was responsible for the selection of new ion implanters and operation of all implanters in the Hillsboro, Oregon fab. After Intel, Mitch joined Applied Materials, where he served as Vice President & General Manager of the Implant Division for two years and then as Senior Director of Solar Factory Projects for another two years. He spent his final decade as an independent consultant with companies in the semiconductor and solar process, equipment, and metrology areas.
Mitch’s friends and colleagues knew him as an incredibly caring person who always put others before himself. Throughout his career, he mentored dozens of co-workers, from fellow engineers in Hillsboro and other Intel fabs to his supporting technicians and colleagues at collaborating equipment companies. Mitch was also extremely passionate about coaching his children in football, baseball, softball, and soccer. In addition, he actively served on numerous community leadership boards, including the International Committee of the Ion Implantation Technology conference series, the Multnomah/Washington County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), and the Willamette University Technical Advisory Board.