Robert H. Dennard: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American electrical engineer (born 19321932–2024)}}

|birth_date = {{birth- date|5 September 1932|09|05}}

|birth_place = [[Terrell, Texas]], U.S.

|death_date = {{death- date and age|23 April 2024|5 September 04|23|1932|09|05}}

|death_place = {{nobr|[[Croton on Hudson, New York]], U.S.}}

|thesis_title = Behavior of the ferroresonant <br>series circuit containing <br>a square-loop reactor

|awards = [[Harvey Prize]] {{small|(1990)}}<br>[[IEEE Edison Medal]] {{small|(2001)}}<br>[[IEEE Medal of Honor]] {{small|(2009)}}<br>[[Kyoto Prize]] {{small|(2013)}}<br>Robert N. Noyce Award {{small|(2019)}}

|footnotes =
}}

'''Robert Heath Dennard''' (5 September 5, 1932 – 23 April 23, 2024) was an American [[electrical engineer]] and [[inventor]].<ref name="Lohr-2024">{{Cite news |last=Lohr |first=Steve |date=2024-05-16 |title=Robert Dennard, IBM Inventor Whose Chip Changed Computing, Dies at 91 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/16/technology/robert-dennard-dead.html |access-date=2024-05-17 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Dennard was born in [[Terrell, Texas]], [[United States|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]].<ref name="Lohr-2024" />

In 1966 he invented the one transistor memory cell consisting of a transistor and a capacitor for which a patent<ref>[{{Cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3387286A/en US3387286A(|title=Field-effect transistor memory) - Google Patents]}}</ref> was issued in 1968. It became the basis for today's [[dynamic random-access memory]] (DRAM) and almost all other memory types such as SRAM and FLASH memory. Dennard was also among the first to recognize the tremendous potential of downsizing [[MOSFET]]s. The [[MOSFET#Scaling|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.<ref name="Lohr-2024" />

Dennard died on April 23, 2024, at the age of 91.<ref>{{citeCite web |date=3 May 2024 |url=https://www.lohudlegacy.com/us/obituaries/pnys0809210 legacyremembers/robert-dennard-obituary?id=55019900|title=Robert Heath Dennard |website=LohudObituary |access- Death Notice and Service Information|date=6 May 2, 2024|website=Legacy.com}}</ref><ref name="Lohr-2024" />

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