E. William Jensen (born 1932) is a retired American inventor and business leader, known for his innovations in semiconductor processing. He was active professionally from 1953 until 2000.
Jensen was born on April 18, 1932, in Copenhagen, Denmark, to parents who were citizens of the United States. He moved to the United States in 1936 and was raised in New York City, where he attended Stuyvesant High School. Jensen subsequently enrolled at Columbia University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology.[1][2]
Jensen discovered that certain synthetic leathers such as Corfam[3] are uniquely useful for polishing silicon wafers so that the wafers can be processed into microchips for electronic devices. He further discovered that these were particularly useful when the Corfam is free of surface agents typically used in synthetic leather applications. Corfam had been invented by the DuPont Co. prior to 1965 as an alternative to leather for footwear applications.[4] Jensen obtained patent protection for these inventions and subsequently developed a significant business based on silicon wafer polishing.[5] These materials came to be known as "poromeric" materials, which is a portmanteau of "porous" and "polymeric".[6]
Jensen was founder and president of Geoscience Instruments Corporation, later known as GEOS, Co.[7] He held the position of president from 1959 to 1964. At that time, he became vice-president of research and development and retained his position as chairman of the board of directors.[8]
With Major League Baseball batting instructor Charley Lau and Perrin A. Allen, Jensen co-invented an improved grip material for batting. The grip was a thin sheet made of three layers of synthetic material that served to dampen the impact of shock from striking the ball with the bat. The grip was commercialized in a partnership between Lau and Jensen's company, and it was used by baseball players at various levels of the sport.[9][10]
Cosmetics: Nail buff & facial skin planing TV face plate polishing
In 2005 and 2006, the Science History Institute conducted an oral history biography of Jensen.
Jensen has resided in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, USA.