2006 Distinguished Alumnus Michael L. Fulton B.S. Chemistry, 1977
In 1989, Mr. Fulton joined PSI MAX Optics where his efforts with IAD technology led to an innovative method for producing Ultra Narrow Band Pass filters. This technology became the foundation for the growth of the optical telecommunication industry enabling the successful production of the optical filters used in the Wavelength Division and Multiplexing (WDM) technology. Mr. Fulton’s success and reputation as a pioneer in thin-film technology led him to join the Boeing High Technology Center (HTC) where he positively impacted almost every coating project at the Center through application of his IAD technique. At Boeing, he developed an innovative technology for the deposition of anti-reflection coating on solar cells that significantly increased the efficiency of these devices. In the course of Boeing’s program to develop concentrator arrays for space power, Mr. Fulton invented a unique thin-film deposition method for protecting silicone Fresnel lenses against UV radiation. This work continues today with Entech for NASA. After Boeing closed the HTC, Mr. Fulton moved to Singapore in 1993 to work for AVIMO Singapore Ltd. Mr. Fulton was the optical coating expert for Singapore establishing the Center of Thin Film Excellence. Upon returning to California in 1997, Mr. Fulton joined ZC&R Coatings for Optics (ZC&R) where he designed and manufactured the window coatings for the International Space Station. At ZC&R Mr. Fulton also built the world’s first Ion-Assisted Filter Cathodic Arc Deposition (IFCAD) system, producing Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) films at room temperature that are 90% as hard as diamond. In 2000 Mr. Fulton joined the Rockwell Science Center where he worked on Laser Eye Protection technology for pilots. Mr. Fulton also designed and produced the hyper-spectral filter (CRISM) for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. In 2003, Mr. Fulton founded Ion Beam Optics, Inc. (IBO) where he is pioneering work on increasing the efficiency of space-based solar systems. Mr. Fulton’s company, IBO, has now joined a sustainable living project directing the R&D effort with World’s Nest. Mr. Fulton’s mission is to convert the high efficiency space power technology into terrestrial solar systems to dramatically increase the production of electricity here on earth.
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Mr. Fulton’s pioneering work and success in developing optical thin-film technologies has become the foundation for new and innovative products. Mr. Fulton’s work has significantly impacted the high technology community setting the foundation for his current effort to develop renewable sources of energy. While attending SSU during the day, Mr. Fulton worked full-time in the evenings as a coating technician at Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc. (OCLI). After completing the BS in Chemistry and the MA in English, Mr. Fulton became a Process Engineer with OCLI. In this capacity, Mr. Fulton led the team that brought the world’s first end-Hall ion source into production. Now, Ion-Assisted Deposition (IAD) technology is ubiquitous in the thin-film coating industry.