Aldert van der Ziel
Encyclopedia
Prof. Dr. Aldert van der Ziel, (12 December 1910, Zandeweer
- 20 January 1991, Minneapolis), was a Dutch
physicist who studied electronic noise
processes in materials such as semiconductors and metals.
in physical electronics. He published 15 books and more than 500 scientific papers. He was also a writer on Christianity, particularly the relationship between science and religion. Van der Ziel belonged to a conservative Lutheran church.
Van der Ziel obtained a Ph.D. In 1934 from the University of Groningen
. He worked at Philips
in Eindhoven until 1947. In 1947 he went to Vancouver
, Canada and moved to the University of Minnesota
in 1950 to become professor of electrical engineering. He was also associated, later, with the University of Florida
at Gainesville.
The IEEE has an award named after Aldert van der Ziel, which is given during the two-yearly International Semiconductor Device Research Symposium (ISDRS) sponsered by the IEEE Electron Devices Society
, for "a distinguished career in education and research". Past recipients are Lester Eastmann, Herbert Kroemer
(Nobel Prize in Physics
winner), Michael Shur
, Marvin H. White, James D. Plummer, Ben Streetman and Mark Lundstrom.
Eemsmond
Eemsmond is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centers :Eemshaven, Eppenhuizen, Kantens, Oldenzijl, Oosteinde, Oosternieland, Oudeschip, Roodeschool, Rottum, Startenhuizen, Stitswerd, Uithuizen, Uithuizermeeden, Usquert, Warffum, Zandeweer.It also includes the uninhabited...
- 20 January 1991, Minneapolis), was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
physicist who studied electronic noise
Electronic noise
Electronic noise is a random fluctuation in an electrical signal, a characteristic of all electronic circuits. Noise generated by electronic devices varies greatly, as it can be produced by several different effects...
processes in materials such as semiconductors and metals.
Biography
Aldert van der Ziel was a pioneering researcher into the phenomenon of flicker noiseFlicker noise
Flicker noise is a type of electronic noise with a 1/ƒ, or pink power density spectrum. It is therefore often referred to as 1/ƒ noise or pink noise, though these terms have wider definitions...
in physical electronics. He published 15 books and more than 500 scientific papers. He was also a writer on Christianity, particularly the relationship between science and religion. Van der Ziel belonged to a conservative Lutheran church.
Van der Ziel obtained a Ph.D. In 1934 from the University of Groningen
University of Groningen
The University of Groningen , located in the city of Groningen, was founded in 1614. It is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands as well as one of its largest. Since its inception more than 100,000 students have graduated...
. He worked at Philips
Philips
Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....
in Eindhoven until 1947. In 1947 he went to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada and moved to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1950 to become professor of electrical engineering. He was also associated, later, with the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
at Gainesville.
The IEEE has an award named after Aldert van der Ziel, which is given during the two-yearly International Semiconductor Device Research Symposium (ISDRS) sponsered by the IEEE Electron Devices Society
IEEE Electron Devices Society
The ' is a professional society of the IEEE.- History :The IEEE Electron Devices Society was initially formed as the IRE Electron Tubes and Solid-State Devices Committee in 1951, and quickly became a professional group in March of 1952 called the IRE Professional Group on Electron Devices...
, for "a distinguished career in education and research". Past recipients are Lester Eastmann, Herbert Kroemer
Herbert Kroemer
Herbert Kroemer , a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Santa Barbara, received his Ph.D. in theoretical physics in 1952 from the University of Göttingen, Germany, with a dissertation on hot electron effects in the then-new transistor, setting the stage...
(Nobel Prize in Physics
Nobel Prize in Physics
The Nobel Prize in Physics is awarded once a year by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895 and awarded since 1901; the others are the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Peace Prize, and...
winner), Michael Shur
Michael Shur
Michael Shur is the Patricia W. and C. Sheldon Roberts '48 professor of solid state electronics and an electrical engineering professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.-Background:...
, Marvin H. White, James D. Plummer, Ben Streetman and Mark Lundstrom.
Awards
- 1956 IEEEInstitute of Electrical and Electronics EngineersThe Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
Fellow - 1975 Honorary doctorate, University Paul Sabatier, Toulouse
- 1977 National Academy of Engineering
- 1980 IEEE Education Medal
- 1981 Honorary doctorate, University of Eindhoven
Books
- Noise (Prentice-Hall electrical engineering series), Aldert Van der Ziel, Publ. Prentice-Hall (1954)
- Solid State Physical Electronics 2nd Ed, Aldert Van der Ziel, Publ. Prentice-Hall (1968)
- Noise in Measurements, Aldert Van Der Ziel, Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc (1976) ISBN 0-471-89895-3
- Nonlinear Electronic Circuits, Aldert Van Der Ziel, Publ. John Wiley & Sons Inc (1977) ISBN 0-471-02227-6
- Noise in Solid State Devices and Circuits, Aldert Van Der Ziel, Publ. Wiley-Interscience (1986) ISBN 0-471-83234-0
- The Natural Sciences and the Christian Message, Aldert Van der Ziel, Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated (1976) ISBN 0-8371-7941-6
Selected papers
- Thermal noise in field effect transistors, A. van der Ziel, Proc. IRE, vol. 50, pp. 1808-1812 (1962). One of the described topics quantum 1/f noiseQuantum 1/f noiseQuantum 1/f noise is claimed to be an intrinsic part of quantum mechanics . The model is based on the scattering of different particles off one another in solid state physics...
is now controversial.
External links
- A creationist viewpoint on van der Ziel's beliefs