Dr. Scott Walton (Right) with Kathe Vergason and past President Gary Vergason at SVC TechCon 2022 in Long Beach.
On May 7, 2024, the Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC) will present Dr. Scott Walton of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) with the prestigious Fellow-Mentor Award at SVC TechCon 2024 in Chicago.
Dr. Scott Walton, a pioneer in electron beam generated plasmas, will be recognized for outstanding, sustained technical contributions in vacuum coating, surface engineering and related technologies by the SVC at their annual technical conference.
The SVC Award Committee established the Mentor Award in 2001 to recognize outstanding contributions to the development of vacuum coating technology. In 2022, the Mentor Award was renamed the SVC Fellow-Mentor Award and expanded to recognize individuals who have provided long-term, sustained technical leadership to the Society.
Breaking New Ground in Plasma Physics.
Dr. Scott Walton is Head of the Plasma Applications Section in the Plasma Physics Division at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington DC. Scott manages the Plasma Applications Laboratory and research programs related to the production, characterization and use of low-temperature plasmas in applications for both low and high-pressure environments, covering topics ranging from fundamental studies of the plasma and plasma-surface interface to applications in materials processing. These programs continue to provide researchers from academia, national laboratories and industry the opportunity to collaborate and address challenging and exciting problems.
Dr. Scott Walton catching up with past President Frank Zimone at SVC TechCon Long Beach.
A Quarter Century of Leadership.
Scott came to the Naval Research Laboratory in 1999 as a post-doctoral research fellow where he began developing novel plasma sources and processing protocols for materials modification. This includes his pioneering work with electron beam generated plasmas and their use in the processing of important engineering materials.
Scott led a team that performed groundbreaking studies which demonstrated how these plasma sources provided unparalleled control of both the energy and composition of incident ionized and neutral flux on surfaces immersed in the plasma, which could be used to precisely tune surface properties of graphene, polystyrene, silicon and other technologically significant materials.
More recently, his research has expanded into the development and use of atmospheric plasmas and new materials processing applications, including coatings for UV optics critical for expanding the limits of space exploration and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) for advanced electronic device fabrication processes. Scott has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, received 13 patents, and given over 60 invited presentations.
Scott is active in the community including both the SVC and the AVS. He is a member of the AVS Program Committee and served as the Plasma Science and Technology Division chair. In the SVC, he has served as TechCon Program Chair and on the Board of Directors for two terms. He currently leads the successful SVC Education Program, which is the envy of the industry. He is an excellent advisor and mentor to students, early career scientists and colleagues engaged in research efforts at NRL and across the broader community.
Please join the SVC in honoring Dr. Scott Walton, recipient of the 2024 SVC Fellow-Mentor Award winner.
About the SVC Fellow-Mentor Award.
In 2001 the SVC Award Committee established the Mentor Award to recognize outstanding contributions to the development of vacuum coating technology or for special contributions to the Society. In 2022, the Mentor Award was expanded and renamed the “SVC Fellow-Mentor Award.” Today, the Fellow-Mentor Award recognizes outstanding, sustained technical contributions to the advancement of vacuum coating, surface engineering and related technologies through research, development, technical leadership and long-term contributions to the evolution of the SVC. The SVC Fellow-Mentor title is a lifetime recognition of distinction. Recipients exemplify the highest ideals of accomplishment and the sharing of information embodied by the SVC community. Learn more about the SVC Fellow-Mentor Award.
About the Society of Vacuum Coaters (SVC).
The SVC is a non-profit, international, professional organization primarily devoted to coating and surface finishing using vacuum processes. The organization consists of industry, academia and members from national research laboratories. Their industrial membership includes coating companies, materials suppliers, process designers and equipment manufacturers. SVC stakeholders apply coatings and treatments to a wide variety of consumer and industrial products in all business sectors and in every part of the world. These technologies are critically important to the technical missions of leading scientists, companies and members of the vacuum coating industry. Learn more about the Society of Vacuum Coaters.