Robert W. Bower
| Robert W. Bower | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 12, 1936 Santa Monica, California |
| Residence | Davis, CA |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Applied Physics |
| Alma mater |
University of California at Berkeley The California Institute of Technology |
| Known for | Self-aligned-gate MOSFET |
| Notable awards |
National Inventors Hall of Fame, 1997 National Academy of Engineering, 1999 |
Dr. Robert W. Bower (June 12, 1936) was born in Santa Monica, CA and is an applied physicist. Immediately after receiving his Ph.D. from The California Institute of Technology in 1973, he worked for over 25 years in many different professions: Engineer, Scientist, Department Head at University of California, Davis, and as president and CEO of Device Concept Inc. He also served as the President of Integrated Vertical Modules, which focused on three-dimensional, high-density structures. His most notable contribution, however, is his field-effect device with insulated gates—also known as a self-aligned-gate MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), or SAGFET. Bower patented this design in 1969 while working at the Hughes Research Laboratories in Malibu, California. He has also published over 80 journals and articles, patented over 28 inventions, and authored chapters in 3 different books.
Robert W. Bower was born in Santa Monica, California in 1936. He remained in California throughout his life, except for 1954 – 1958 when he enlisted in the Air Force. After his service with the Air Force, he enrolled in UC Berkeley and in 1962 earned his A.B. in Physics while working at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory. One year later, he earned his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Caltech. In 1965, he worked in Malibu, California with Hughes Research Laboratories, which specializes in aerospace and defense operations. He later returned to Caltech and received his Ph.D. in Applied Physics in 1973. Currently, Dr. Bower is Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, where he has been teaching for over 14 years.
At the Hughes Research Laboratories in the late 1960s, Bower strove to find the ideal element to integrate in all circuits. In 1920, Lilienfeld conceived of the basic design for this idea but had no platform to build or test his device. In the late 1950s, McCaldin and Hornoi devised of the silicon planar process and Kilby and Noyce established an Integrate circuit that could serve as a basic platform for Lilienfeld’s design. In 1963, Steven Hofstein and Frederic Heiman compiled the ideas from all previous scientists and were able to describe the fundamental nature of the MOSFET on a silicon planar process platform; however, they lacked one key asset that would power the MOSFET. In 1965, Bower conceived of the self-aligned-gate ion-implanted MOSFET which was the key to advances in integrated circuits.
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