Kevin Martin, who was the associate director of the Microelectronics Research Center (MiRC) for many years, passed away on June 28, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. He retired from Georgia Tech in 2016.

Martin began working at Georgia Tech in 1987, and he served as the associate director of the MiRC before it was absorbed into the Institute for Electronics and Nanotechnology. Martin was a graduate of The Ohio State University, where he received his bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in physics. He completed postdoctoral research at the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory at MIT and at the University of Oregon.

Martin was a jack of many trades, contributing to several research efforts and adding value to a variety of diverse research groups, especially in the early years of the MiRC when professional research staff members were sparse. He was an expert in low temperature electronic transport measurements, and he was the original researcher to develop photomask capabilities on campus. 

Martin was a key player in the acquisition and operation of Georgia Tech’s first electron beam lithography tools that resulted in Georgia Tech being thrust into the top universities in the world for nanoscale science and devices. In his closing years at Georgia Tech, he also contributed to many multi-group efforts for gigascale integration and packaging.

Martin was very involved during the early days of the Institut Lafayette project, which is based at the Georgia Tech-Lorraine campus in France. He was instrumental in the design of the clean room and the choice of equipment. 

Martin will leave a lasting mark, and his sense of humor and generosity will be missed by his colleagues. He was very involved with Habitat for Humanity, where he volunteered very often. That same generosity was apparent from the interactions Martin had with users of the MiRC — he was always willing to help.  

To read more about Martin’s life and how to honor his memory, please see http://www.hillfuneral.com/westerville-funeral-home/obituaries-services/obits-photos/863 and please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.

Note: Institut Lafayette photos are courtesy of Bernard Kippelen, the Joseph M. Pettit Professor in ECE. Below are full cutlines.

Kevin Martin (second from left) reviews plans for the Institut Lafayette cleanroom at a design meeting held at the MiRC in March 2013.

Kevin Martin at the Institut Lafayette inauguration in May 2014.