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{{Short description|IBM Fellow and researcher}}
{{Short description|Canadian-American computer scientist and researcher (1931–2024)}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox WorldScouting
{{Infobox person
|name=Lubomyr Romankiw
|name=Lubomyr Romankiw
|birth_date={{birth date|1931|04|17}}
|birth_place=[[Zhovkva]], Ukraine
|death_date={{death date and age|2024|06|27|1931|04|17}}
|death_place=United States
|image=
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|chiefscout=[[Plast]]
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'''Lubomyr Taras Romankiw''' (17 April 1931 – 28 June 2024) was an American computer scientist, [[IBM Fellow]] and [[researcher]] at [[IBM]]'s [[Thomas J. Watson Research Center]] in [[Yorktown Heights]], [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Popovych |first=Orest |date=2004-01-04 |title=Shevchenko Society celebrates 130th anniversary with conference in N.Y. |work=Ukrainian Weekly |url=http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2004/010407.shtml |accessdate=2007-01-07}}</ref>


⚫
'''Lubomyr Taras Romankiw''' (April 17, 1931 – June 27, 2024) was a Canadian-American computer scientist, researcher and inventor. Although a Canadian citizen, he spent his entire career at [[IBM]]'s [[Thomas J. Watson Research Center]] in [[Yorktown Heights]], New York.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Popovych |first=Orest |date=2004-01-04 |title=Shevchenko Society celebrates 130th anniversary with conference in N.Y. |work=Ukrainian Weekly |url=http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2004/010407.shtml |access-date=2007-01-07}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2024-06-28 |title=Prominent Ukrainian inventor and scout Liubomyr Romankiv dies in US |work=Ukrainska Pravda |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/06/28/7463068/ |access-date=2024-06-28}}</ref> He was an [[IBM Fellow|IBM fellow]], the highest Technical ranking at [[IBM]].
Romankiw earned his B.Sc. from the [[University of Alberta]] in 1957, and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (in [[metallurgy]] and materials) from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in 1962. He is listed as a (co)inventor on over 65 U.S. [[patent]]s, 150 papers and has edited 10 volumes of various technical symposia.<ref name="storage" />

Romankiw earned his B.Sc. from the [[University of Alberta]] in 1957, and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (in [[metallurgy]] and materials) from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in 1962. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled "Kinetics of dissolution of zinc sulfide in aqueous sulfuric acid",<ref>{{Cite web|title = Kinetics of dissolution of zinc sulfide in aqueous sulfuric acid, MIT dissertation | url=https://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/11442|access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> under the advisory of Professor P. L. de Bruyn. Romankiw is listed as a co-inventor on over 90 U.S. [[patent]]s,<ref> {{Cite web | title = Patents by Inventor Lubomyr T. Romankiw | url=https://patents.justia.com/inventor/lubomyr-t-romankiw?page=8|access-date=2024-07-10}}</ref> 150 papers and edited 10 volumes of various technical symposia.<ref name="storage">{{Cite web |title=Storage Newsletter: Lubomyr Romankiw, David Thompson |url=http://www.storagenewsletter.com/news/people/ibm-lubomyr-romankiw-david-thompson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911113326/http://www.storagenewsletter.com/news/people/ibm-lubomyr-romankiw-david-thompson |archive-date=11 September 2012 |website=National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees}}</ref>


==Background==
==Background==
Romankiw was born 17 April 1931 in [[Zhovkva]], then part of Poland, nowadays [[Ukraine]]. Much of his work involves magnetic materials, reflective displays and copper plating. While working for IBM, the inventor developed magnetic thin-film storage heads (co-invented with David Thompson in the 1970s), a revolutionary technology for recording and reading information on hard drives.<ref>{{cite web | title=Lubomyr T. Romankiw | website=ETHW | date=February 3, 2016 | url=https://ethw.org/Lubomyr_T._Romankiw | access-date=April 13, 2024}}</ref> He is an [[IBM]] Fellow, a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an [[IEEE]] Fellow, and an [[Electrochemical Society]] Fellow. He received the 1993 Society of Chemical Industry Perkin Medal, the 1994 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Technical Field Award, and the 1994 Electrochemical Society Vittorio de Nora Award.<ref name="storage">{{Cite web |title=Storage Newsletter: Lubomyr Romankiw, David Thompson |url=http://www.storagenewsletter.com/news/people/ibm-lubomyr-romankiw-david-thompson |website=National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120911113326/http://www.storagenewsletter.com/news/people/ibm-lubomyr-romankiw-david-thompson |archive-date=11 September 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
Romankiw was born on April 17, 1931, in [[Zhovkva]], then part of Poland, nowadays Ukraine. Much of his work involved magnetic materials, reflective displays, and copper plating. While working for IBM, the inventor developed magnetic thin-film storage heads (co-invented with David Thompson in the 1970s), a revolutionary technology for recording and reading information on hard drives.<ref>{{cite web | title=Lubomyr T. Romankiw | website=ETHW | date=February 3, 2016 | url=https://ethw.org/Lubomyr_T._Romankiw | access-date=April 13, 2024}}</ref> He was an [[IBM]] fellow, a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an [[IEEE]] fellow, and an [[Electrochemical Society]] fellow.


He received the [[Perkin Medal]] from the [[Society of Chemical Industry]] (1993),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Society of Chemical Industry: SCI Honours |url=http://www.soci.org/SCI/awards/awardsbook/award.jsp?awardID=AW31&pageType=WINNER |url-status=dead |website=Society of Chemical Industry Webs Site |publisher=Society of Chemical Industry |accessdate=2008-01-07 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014901/http://www.soci.org/SCI/awards/awardsbook/award.jsp?awardID=AW31&pageType=WINNER |archivedate=2007-09-27}}</ref> the [[Vittorio de Nora Award]] from [[The Electrochemical Society]] (1994),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vittorio de Nora Award |url=http://www.electrochem.org/awards/ecs/recipients/v_denora_recipients.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071211010040/http://www.electrochem.org/awards/ecs/recipients/v_denora_recipients.htm |archive-date=2007-12-11 |website=The Electrochemical Society Web Site |publisher=The Electrochemical Society |accessdate=2007-01-08}}</ref> the [[IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award]], the Inventor of the Year Award from the Eastern New York Intellectual Property Law Association (2000){{Citation needed|date=January 2008}} and the Inventor of the Year Award from the [[New York Intellectual Property Law Association]] (2001).{{Citation needed|date=January 2008}}
He received the [[Perkin Medal]] from the [[Society of Chemical Industry (America Section)|Society of Chemical Industry]] in 1993,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Society of Chemical Industry: SCI Honours |url=http://www.soci.org/SCI/awards/awardsbook/award.jsp?awardID=AW31&pageType=WINNER |url-status=dead |website=Society of Chemical Industry Webs Site |publisher=Society of Chemical Industry |access-date=2008-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927014901/http://www.soci.org/SCI/awards/awardsbook/award.jsp?awardID=AW31&pageType=WINNER |archive-date=2007-09-27}}</ref> the [[Vittorio de Nora Award]] from the [[The Electrochemical Society|Electrochemical Society]] in 1994,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Vittorio de Nora Award |url=http://www.electrochem.org/awards/ecs/recipients/v_denora_recipients.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071211010040/http://www.electrochem.org/awards/ecs/recipients/v_denora_recipients.htm |archive-date=2007-12-11 |website=The Electrochemical Society Web Site |publisher=The Electrochemical Society |access-date=2007-01-08}}</ref> and the 1994 [[IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award]].<ref name="IEEE-Liebmann-Award-Recipients">{{cite web |title=IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award Recipients |url=http://www.ieee.org/documents/liebmann_rl.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211541/http://www.ieee.org/documents/liebmann_rl.pdf |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |access-date=February 27, 2011 |publisher=IEEE}}</ref>


In March 2012, he was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame.<ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Meet the 2012 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees |url=http://www.invent.org/2012induction/ |url-status=dead |website=National Inventors Hall of Fame |accessdate=2012-03-08 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306051245/http://www.invent.org/2012induction/ |archivedate=2012-03-06}} National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees</ref> In 2014, he was elected as a (foreign) member of [[National Academy of Engineering|the National Academy of Engineering]] of the United States for his innovation of thin-film magnetic head structures and electrochemical process technologies for microelectronics device fabrication.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Lubomyr T. Romankiw |url=https://www.nae.edu/MembersSection/MemberDirectory/107902.aspx}}</ref>
In March 2012, he was inducted into the [[National Inventors Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Meet the 2012 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees |url=http://www.invent.org/2012induction/ |url-status=dead |website=National Inventors Hall of Fame |access-date=2012-03-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120306051245/http://www.invent.org/2012induction/ |archive-date=2012-03-06}} National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees</ref> In 2014, he was elected as a foreign member of [[National Academy of Engineering|the National Academy of Engineering]] of the United States for his innovation of thin-film magnetic head structures and electrochemical process technologies for microelectronics device fabrication.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dr. Lubomyr T. Romankiw |url=https://www.nae.edu/MembersSection/MemberDirectory/107902.aspx}}</ref>


He is active in various organizations, most notably serving as the ''Nachalniy Plastun'' (or Chief Scout) of the [[Plast]] Ukrainian Scouting Organization. Dr. Romankiw is a member of the [[Shevchenko Scientific Society]], USA.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}
He was active in various organizations, most notably serving as the ''Nachalniy Plastun'' (Chief Scout) of the [[Plast|Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine]]. Romankiw was a member of the [[Shevchenko Scientific Society]], USA.{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}


Romankiw died in the United States on June 28, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-28 |title=У США помер видатний український винахідник і пластун Любомир Романків |url=https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/u-ssha-pomer-vidatniy-ukrajinskiy-vinahidnik-i-plastun-lyubomir-romankiv-302379/ |access-date=2024-06-28 }}</ref>
Romankiw died in the United States on June 27, 2024, at the age of 93.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-28 |title=У США помер видатний український винахідник і пластун Любомир Романків |url=https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/u-ssha-pomer-vidatniy-ukrajinskiy-vinahidnik-i-plastun-lyubomir-romankiv-302379/ |access-date=2024-06-28 }}</ref>


== Invention of Thin Film Heads ==
⚫
== Awards ==
By the 1960's, the earlier version of magnetic storage, the [[IBM drum storage]] was approaching its storage limit. Hand-made and assembled copper-wired heads were becoming too small to become extendible to smaller size and scalable to higher areal density storage per square inch.


The challenges to extend the storage technology at that time were:<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Early Inventions and Their Ongoing Impact on Magnetic Storage and Electrochemistry|journal=Ecs Meeting Abstracts |date=June 4, 2012 |volume=MA2012-02 |issue=48 |page=3391 |doi=10.1149/MA2012-02/48/3391 |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/MA2012-02/48/3391 |access-date=2024-07-08 |last1=Romankiw |first1=Lubomyr |last2=Krongelb |first2=Sol }}</ref> 1, to achieve areal density beyond 3 Megabits per square inch; and 2, to batch fabricate the read/write heads. Romankiw invented several key inventions that enabled the extendibility of the magnetic storage technology.
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* [[Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]] (August 22, 2020)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-24 |title=УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №341/2020 — Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України |url=https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/3412020-34825 |access-date=2023-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924060955/https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/3412020-34825 |archive-date=September 24, 2020 }}</ref>

1. US patent 3,908,194,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 3,908,194|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3908194A/en |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Integrated magnetoresistive read, inductive write, batch fabricated magnetic head. This is the design of an integrated thin film head, which includes both the read and the write functionality, and which remains largely unchanged for decades. More details see [[Disk read-and-write head]].

2. US patent 4,295,173,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 4,295,173|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4295173A/en?oq=thin+film+inductive+transducer+4295173 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Thin Film Inductive Transducer. This is the design of the writer in the thin film heads, where a magnetic yoke made with specific magnetic materials ([[permalloy]]) is magnetized with copper coils. The design of the structure allows for high frequency switching and high magnetization at the yoke tip, which enables high frequency data writing with high fidelity.

3. US patent 3,840,898,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 3,840,898|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3840898A/en?oq=self+biased+magnetoresistive+sensor++US3840898 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Self-biased Magnetoresistive Sensor. This is the design of the reading part in the thin film heads. This design allows the miniaturization of the magnetoresistive sensor, which reads in 1 or 0 data on the storage media.

4. US patent 4,281,057,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 4,281,057|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4281057A/en?oq=variable+pre-spin+dry+US4281057 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Variable Pre-spin Drying Time Control of Photoresists Thickness.

5. US patent 4,315,985,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 4,315,985|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4315985A/en?oq=Fine+line+fabrication+US4315985 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Fine-line circuit fabrication and photoresist application thereof.

6. US patent 3,853,715,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 3,853,715|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3853715A/en?oq=elimination+of+undercut+US3%2c853%2c715 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Elimination of undercut in an anodically active metal during chemical etching.

These three patents above invented and enabled the so-called "[[Electroplating]] through mask", where the electroplated parts are well defined with patterned [[photoresist]] using [[photolithography]]. This is also an early version of the [[LIGA]] process used widely for [[MEMS]] fabrication. This innovative process was a key enabler for the fabrication of the thin film heads.

7. US patent 3,652,442,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 3,652,442 |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3652442A/en?oq=electroplating+cell+including+means+of+agitation+3%2c652%2c442 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Electroplating cell including means to agitate the electrolyte in laminar flow. This is the instrument Romankiw invented to allow him to make the magnetic film for thin film head. This cell uses an innovative means to agitate the solution, with a reciprocating paddle, to provide [[laminar flow]] agitation with uniform and well controlled [[diffusion layer]] thickness. This enables the precise control of the composition of [[permalloy]] and other [[magnetic alloy]] film in a manufacturing scale. This tool also allows the application of an external magnetic field during [[electroplating]] that creates [[magnetic anisotropy]] in the film during deposition. The correct orientation of the [[magnetic easy axis]] with respect to the magnetic yoke configuration is a critical requirement for fast switching of the magnetization and fast writing.

8. US patent 5,516,412,.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 5,516,412|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US5516412A/en?oq=vertical+paddle+cell+US5516412 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Vertical Paddle Cell. This is a follow on invention of the previous one, also with a reciprocating paddle for electroplating, but in a vertical configuration, enabling easier and faster loading / unloading of wafers, and also avoiding particle dropping from anode.

9. US patent 4,102,756,.<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 4,102,756 |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4102756A/en?oq=Nickel-iron+(80:+20)+alloy+thin+film+electroplating+method+and+electrochemical+treatment+and+plating+apparatus+US4102756 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Nickel-iron (80:20) alloy thin film electroplating method and electrochemical treatment and plating apparatus. This is the [[permalloy]] thin film electroplated using Romankiw's plating cell and process. This alloy has been the material of choice for [[Disk read-and-write head]] for decades until the early 2000s.

10. US patent 4,003,768,<ref>{{Cite web |title=US patent 4,003,768 |url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US4003768A/en?oq=Method+for+treating+magnetic+alloy+US+4%2c003%2c768 |access-date=2024-07-08}}</ref> Method for treating magnetic alloy to increase the magnetic permeability. This is the method of thermal annealing the electroplating permalloy in a magnetic field to further improve the permeability in the easy axis, to further improve the magnetization, magnetic switching, and the writing performance.

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== Awards ==
* [[The Electrochemical Society]] Electrodeposition division Research award, 1984
* [[IEEE]] Fellow, 1986
* [[The Electrochemical Society]] Fellow, 1990
* [[Society of Chemical Industry]] [[Perkin Medal]], 1993
* [[The Electrochemical Society]] Vittorio De Nora Award, 1994
* [[IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award]], 1994.
* [[The Electrochemical Society]] honorary member, 2003.
* The [[National Inventors Hall of Fame]] inductee, 2012.
* The [[National Academy of Engineering]] foreign member, 2014.
⚫
* [[Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]], 2020.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-09-24 |title=УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №341/2020 — Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України |url=https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/3412020-34825 |access-date=2023-06-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924060955/https://www.president.gov.ua/documents/3412020-34825 |archive-date=September 24, 2020 }}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
{{Portal|Scouting}}
{{Portal|Scouting}}
{{-}}


==References==
==References==
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[[Category:IBM employees]]
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[[Category:IBM Fellows]]
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:1931 births]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
[[Category:2024 deaths]]
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[[Category:IBM employees]]
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[[Category:IBM Fellows]]
[[Category:American people of Ukrainian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Ukrainian descent]]
[[Category:Ukrainian computer scientists]]
[[Category:Ukrainian computer scientists]]

Revision as of 11:36, 19 July 2024

Lubomyr Romankiw
Born(1931-04-17)April 17, 1931
Zhovkva, Ukraine
DiedJune 27, 2024(2024-06-27) (aged 93)
United States

Lubomyr Taras Romankiw (April 17, 1931 – June 27, 2024) was a Canadian-American computer scientist, researcher and inventor. Although a Canadian citizen, he spent his entire career at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, New York.[1][2] He was an IBM fellow, the highest Technical ranking at IBM.

Romankiw earned his B.Sc. from the University of Alberta in 1957, and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees (in metallurgy and materials) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1962. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled "Kinetics of dissolution of zinc sulfide in aqueous sulfuric acid",[3] under the advisory of Professor P. L. de Bruyn. Romankiw is listed as a co-inventor on over 90 U.S. patents,[4] 150 papers and edited 10 volumes of various technical symposia.[5]

Background

Romankiw was born on April 17, 1931, in Zhovkva, then part of Poland, nowadays Ukraine. Much of his work involved magnetic materials, reflective displays, and copper plating. While working for IBM, the inventor developed magnetic thin-film storage heads (co-invented with David Thompson in the 1970s), a revolutionary technology for recording and reading information on hard drives.[6] He was an IBM fellow, a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, an IEEE fellow, and an Electrochemical Society fellow.

He received the Perkin Medal from the Society of Chemical Industry in 1993,[7] the Vittorio de Nora Award from the Electrochemical Society in 1994,[8] and the 1994 IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award.[9]

In March 2012, he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[10] In 2014, he was elected as a foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering of the United States for his innovation of thin-film magnetic head structures and electrochemical process technologies for microelectronics device fabrication.[11]

He was active in various organizations, most notably serving as the Nachalniy Plastun (Chief Scout) of the Plast National Scout Organization of Ukraine. Romankiw was a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society, USA.[citation needed]

Romankiw died in the United States on June 27, 2024, at the age of 93.[12]

Invention of Thin Film Heads

By the 1960's, the earlier version of magnetic storage, the IBM drum storage was approaching its storage limit. Hand-made and assembled copper-wired heads were becoming too small to become extendible to smaller size and scalable to higher areal density storage per square inch.

The challenges to extend the storage technology at that time were:[13] 1, to achieve areal density beyond 3 Megabits per square inch; and 2, to batch fabricate the read/write heads. Romankiw invented several key inventions that enabled the extendibility of the magnetic storage technology.

1. US patent 3,908,194,[14] Integrated magnetoresistive read, inductive write, batch fabricated magnetic head. This is the design of an integrated thin film head, which includes both the read and the write functionality, and which remains largely unchanged for decades. More details see Disk read-and-write head.

2. US patent 4,295,173,[15] Thin Film Inductive Transducer. This is the design of the writer in the thin film heads, where a magnetic yoke made with specific magnetic materials (permalloy) is magnetized with copper coils. The design of the structure allows for high frequency switching and high magnetization at the yoke tip, which enables high frequency data writing with high fidelity.

3. US patent 3,840,898,[16] Self-biased Magnetoresistive Sensor. This is the design of the reading part in the thin film heads. This design allows the miniaturization of the magnetoresistive sensor, which reads in 1 or 0 data on the storage media.

4. US patent 4,281,057,[17] Variable Pre-spin Drying Time Control of Photoresists Thickness.

5. US patent 4,315,985,[18] Fine-line circuit fabrication and photoresist application thereof.

6. US patent 3,853,715,[19] Elimination of undercut in an anodically active metal during chemical etching.

These three patents above invented and enabled the so-called "Electroplating through mask", where the electroplated parts are well defined with patterned photoresist using photolithography. This is also an early version of the LIGA process used widely for MEMS fabrication. This innovative process was a key enabler for the fabrication of the thin film heads.

7. US patent 3,652,442,[20] Electroplating cell including means to agitate the electrolyte in laminar flow. This is the instrument Romankiw invented to allow him to make the magnetic film for thin film head. This cell uses an innovative means to agitate the solution, with a reciprocating paddle, to provide laminar flow agitation with uniform and well controlled diffusion layer thickness. This enables the precise control of the composition of permalloy and other magnetic alloy film in a manufacturing scale. This tool also allows the application of an external magnetic field during electroplating that creates magnetic anisotropy in the film during deposition. The correct orientation of the magnetic easy axis with respect to the magnetic yoke configuration is a critical requirement for fast switching of the magnetization and fast writing.

8. US patent 5,516,412,.[21] Vertical Paddle Cell. This is a follow on invention of the previous one, also with a reciprocating paddle for electroplating, but in a vertical configuration, enabling easier and faster loading / unloading of wafers, and also avoiding particle dropping from anode.

9. US patent 4,102,756,.[22] Nickel-iron (80:20) alloy thin film electroplating method and electrochemical treatment and plating apparatus. This is the permalloy thin film electroplated using Romankiw's plating cell and process. This alloy has been the material of choice for Disk read-and-write head for decades until the early 2000s.

10. US patent 4,003,768,[23] Method for treating magnetic alloy to increase the magnetic permeability. This is the method of thermal annealing the electroplating permalloy in a magnetic field to further improve the permeability in the easy axis, to further improve the magnetization, magnetic switching, and the writing performance.

Awards

See also

References

  1. ^ Popovych, Orest (January 4, 2004). "Shevchenko Society celebrates 130th anniversary with conference in N.Y." Ukrainian Weekly. Retrieved January 7, 2007.
  2. ^ "Prominent Ukrainian inventor and scout Liubomyr Romankiv dies in US". Ukrainska Pravda. June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  3. ^ "Kinetics of dissolution of zinc sulfide in aqueous sulfuric acid, MIT dissertation". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Patents by Inventor Lubomyr T. Romankiw". Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  5. ^ "Storage Newsletter: Lubomyr Romankiw, David Thompson". National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012.
  6. ^ "Lubomyr T. Romankiw". ETHW. February 3, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  7. ^ "Society of Chemical Industry: SCI Honours". Society of Chemical Industry Webs Site. Society of Chemical Industry. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  8. ^ "Vittorio de Nora Award". The Electrochemical Society Web Site. The Electrochemical Society. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved January 8, 2007.
  9. ^ "IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 27, 2011.
  10. ^ "Meet the 2012 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductees". National Inventors Hall of Fame. 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012. National Inventors Hall of Fame 2012 Inductees
  11. ^ "Dr. Lubomyr T. Romankiw".
  12. ^ "У США помер видатний український винахідник і пластун Любомир Романків". June 28, 2024. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  13. ^ Romankiw, Lubomyr; Krongelb, Sol (June 4, 2012). "Early Inventions and Their Ongoing Impact on Magnetic Storage and Electrochemistry". Ecs Meeting Abstracts. MA2012-02 (48): 3391. doi:10.1149/MA2012-02/48/3391. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  14. ^ "US patent 3,908,194". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  15. ^ "US patent 4,295,173". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "US patent 3,840,898". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "US patent 4,281,057". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "US patent 4,315,985". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  19. ^ "US patent 3,853,715". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  20. ^ "US patent 3,652,442". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  21. ^ "US patent 5,516,412". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  22. ^ "US patent 4,102,756". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  23. ^ "US patent 4,003,768". Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  24. ^ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №341/2020 — Офіційне інтернет-представництво Президента України". September 24, 2020. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
Preceded by
 Chief Scout of Plast
– 		Succeeded by
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