Jed Rankin

Jed Rankin is currently responsible for Photomask strategy and development for IBM research, since re-joining IBM in 2022. He joined IBM in 1995 with a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MBA in Strategic Business Development, and became part of GLOBALFOUNDRIES with the acquisition of IBM in 2015.

Jed was the Photomask CTO for GLOBALFOUNDRIES from 2015-2022, responsible for global mask supply, quality, and strategic development initiatives.

He began his career in gate level etch process development, where he co-developed IBM’s ACLV (Across Chip Linewidth Variation) characterization and control systems. Since then has held various technical and project management positions including NVRAM process integration, RIE development, 193 lithography introduction, device optimization, OPC and SRAF development, and competitive analysis before joining the IBM Burlington maskhouse in 2003.

In the IBM Burlington maskhouse, Jed was part of the mask process integration and development teams in from 90-7nm node. From 2014 to 2018, Jed led the EUV mask development program for IBM, then Globalfoundries.

Jed is currently responsible for photomask technology strategy in IBM Albany. He was Chairman of the SPIE BACUS photomask conference in 2019, and is the current president of BACUS. Jed’s other activities include mentoring, educational outreach, and intellectual property development. He is a lifetime Master Inventor and has authored over 30 papers and holds over 220 US patents.