Lopez Awarded AVS Technologist Award

Sandia National Laboratories technologist Michael F. Lopez has received the American Vacuum Society’s (AVS) Thin Film Division Distinguished Technologist Award for his exceptional technical support of thin film research and development.

Michael Lopez of Sandia National Laboratories. Courtesy of Sandia.

“I’ve seen the technology evolve, I’ve seen the advancements and I’ve helped in many aspects of thin film technology over the years,” Lopez said.

Lopez joined Sandia in 1994 and was promoted to distinguished technologist 10 years later. He has been a major contributor in the design, layout, fabrication, installation and check-out of high-vacuum equipment used to manufacture neutron tubes and switch tubes for generators. He holds an associate’s degree from Central New Mexico Community College and is co-author or contributing author on several Sandia papers. In addition, Lopez helped develop an AVS short course called “Working with Tritium.”

David Goy of Sandia’s Neutron Generators Operations Management department, who nominated Lopez for the award, said Lopez is more than willing to share his expertise with others.

“He’s helped our production operators, other technologists and engineers learn about thin film, residual gas analysis, vacuum technology and leak detection, using a very hands-on approach,” Goy said. “Mike is a leader in our center.”

The New Mexico Chapter of the AVS created and endowed the national award to honor its founders and their contributions. AVS, founded in 1953, supports networking among government, industrial, academic, and consulting professionals in a variety of disciplines, including engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics and business through common interests related to the basic science, technology, development and commercialization of materials, interfacing and processing.