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Robert H. Dennard

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Robert H. Dennard
Dr. Robert H. Dennard, IBM Fellow, beside his drawing of a DRAM cell (circuit schematic)
Born5 September 1932 (1932-09-05)
Died23 April 2024 (2024-04-24) (aged 91)
Known forInventing DRAM, Dennard scaling
AwardsHarvey Prize (1990)
IEEE Edison Medal (2001)
IEEE Medal of Honor (2009)
Kyoto Prize (2013)
Robert N. Noyce Award (2019)
Scientific career
ThesisBehavior of the ferroresonant series circuit containing a square-loop reactor (1958)
Doctoral advisorLeo A. Finzi

Robert Heath Dennard (5 September 1932 – 23 April 2024) was an American electrical engineer and inventor.

Biography

Dennard was born in Terrell, Texas, U.S. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, in 1954 and 1956, respectively. He earned a Ph.D. from Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1958. His professional career was spent as a researcher for International Business Machines.

In 1966 he invented the one transistor memory cell consisting of a transistor and a capacitor for which a patent[1] was issued in 1968. It became the basis for today's dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). Dennard was also among the first to recognize the tremendous potential of downsizing MOSFETs. The scaling theory he and his colleagues formulated in 1974 postulated that MOSFETs continue to function as voltage-controlled switches while all key figures of merit such as layout density, operating speed, and energy efficiency improve – provided geometric dimensions, voltages, and doping concentrations are consistently scaled to maintain the same electric field. This property underlies the achievement of Moore's Law and the evolution of microelectronics over the last few decades.

In 1984, Dennard was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering for pioneering work in FET technology, including invention of the one transistor dynamic RAM and contributions to scaling theory.

Dennard died on April 23, 2024, at the age of 91.[2]

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. ^ US3387286A(Field-effect transistor memory) - Google Patents
  2. ^ "Robert Heath Dennard". Lohud. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
  3. ^ Russell, John (2019-11-12). "SIA Recognizes Robert Dennard with 2019 Noyce Award". HPC Wire. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  4. ^ Taft, Darryl K. (June 24, 2013). "IBM Researcher Wins Kyoto Prize for DRAM Invention". eWeek. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  5. ^ "Edison Medal", Awards, IEEE, 2001.
  6. ^ Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering, Franklin Institute, 2007, archived from the original on 2007-10-12.
  7. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  8. ^ "Dennard, Robert H", People, Computer History Museum, retrieved Feb 9, 2012.
  9. ^ National Medal of Technology recipients, 1988, archived from the original on 2006-08-12.


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