Jean Hoerni
Encyclopedia
Jean Amédée Hoerni was a silicon transistor pioneer and a member of the Traitorous Eight
. He was remembered for developing the planar process
.
He was born on September 26, 1924 in Geneva
, Switzerland
. He received a Ph.D.
from the University of Cambridge
and another Ph.D.
from the University of Geneva
.
In 1952, he moved to the United States
to work at the California Institute of Technology
, where he became acquainted with William Shockley
, the "father of the transistor
."
A few years later, Shockley recruited Hoerni to work with him at the newly founded Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
division of Beckman Instruments in Mountain View, California. But Shockley's strange behavior would compel the Traitorous Eight
(aka the "Fairchild Eight" and "Shockley's Eight") to abandon him and create the Fairchild Semiconductor
corporation, where Hoerni would go on to invent the planar process
, which allowed transistors to be created out of silicon
rather than germanium
. The name "Silicon Valley" refers to this silicon.
Along with the Traitorous Eight alumni Jay Last
and Sheldon Roberts
, Hoerni founded Amelco (known now as Teledyne
) in 1961.
In 1964, he founded Union Carbide Electronics, and in 1967 Intersil
.
He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute
in 1969 and the McDowell Award
in 1972.
An avid mountain climber, Hoerni often visited the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan
and was moved by the poverty of the Balti mountain people who lived there. He contributed the lion's share, $12,000, to Greg Mortenson
's project to build a school in the remote village of Korphe, and later founded the Central Asia Institute
with an endowment of $1 million to continue providing services for them after his death. Hoerni named Greg Mortenson as the first Executive Director of the organization, which continues to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He died of myelofibrosis on January 12, 1997 in Seattle, Washington
.
In Dec. 2007, an article was published by Michael Riordan on Jean Hoerni and his planar process
in IEEE Spectrum
. The author claimed that Jay Last
pointed out that Hoerni had incredible stamina and could hike for hours on little food or water.
Traitorous Eight
The Traitorous Eight, as they became known, are eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to form Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. More neutral terms include the "Fairchild Eight" and the "Shockley Eight." They have sometimes been called "Fairchildren," although this term has been also...
. He was remembered for developing the planar process
Planar process
The planar process is a manufacturing process used in the semiconductor industry to build individual components of a transistor, and in turn, connect those transistors together. It is the primary process by which modern integrated circuits are built...
.
He was born on September 26, 1924 in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He received a Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and another Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
from the University of Geneva
University of Geneva
The University of Geneva is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland.It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin, as a theological seminary and law school. It remained focused on theology until the 17th century, when it became a center for Enlightenment scholarship. In 1873, it...
.
In 1952, he moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to work at the California Institute of Technology
California Institute of Technology
The California Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Pasadena, California, United States. Caltech has six academic divisions with strong emphases on science and engineering...
, where he became acquainted with William Shockley
William Shockley
William Bradford Shockley Jr. was an American physicist and inventor. Along with John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain, Shockley co-invented the transistor, for which all three were awarded the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics.Shockley's attempts to commercialize a new transistor design in the 1950s...
, the "father of the transistor
Transistor
A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify and switch electronic signals and power. It is composed of a semiconductor material with at least three terminals for connection to an external circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals changes the current...
."
A few years later, Shockley recruited Hoerni to work with him at the newly founded Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory
Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the primary lab of the Shockley Transistor Company, was the first company to work on silicon semiconductor devices in what came to be known as Silicon Valley. It was purchased by Clevite in 1960, and officially closed shortly after being sold to ITT in 1968...
division of Beckman Instruments in Mountain View, California. But Shockley's strange behavior would compel the Traitorous Eight
Traitorous Eight
The Traitorous Eight, as they became known, are eight men who left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory to form Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. More neutral terms include the "Fairchild Eight" and the "Shockley Eight." They have sometimes been called "Fairchildren," although this term has been also...
(aka the "Fairchild Eight" and "Shockley's Eight") to abandon him and create the Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. is an American semiconductor company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1957, it was a pioneer in transistor and integrated circuit manufacturing...
corporation, where Hoerni would go on to invent the planar process
Planar process
The planar process is a manufacturing process used in the semiconductor industry to build individual components of a transistor, and in turn, connect those transistors together. It is the primary process by which modern integrated circuits are built...
, which allowed transistors to be created out of silicon
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
rather than germanium
Germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is a lustrous, hard, grayish-white metalloid in the carbon group, chemically similar to its group neighbors tin and silicon. The isolated element is a semiconductor, with an appearance most similar to elemental silicon....
. The name "Silicon Valley" refers to this silicon.
Along with the Traitorous Eight alumni Jay Last
Jay Last
Jay T. Last is a silicon pioneer and a member of the so-called Traitorous Eight that founded Silicon Valley.He was born in 1929 in Butler, Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor's degree in Optics at the University of Rochester in 1951 and his Ph.D...
and Sheldon Roberts
Sheldon Roberts
C. Sheldon Roberts is a semiconductor pioneer, and member of the Traitorous Eight who founded Silicon Valley.He earned a Bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1948, and a Master's degree in 1949 and Ph.D...
, Hoerni founded Amelco (known now as Teledyne
Teledyne
Teledyne Technologies Incorporated is an industrial conglomerate primarily based in the United States but with global operations. It was founded in 1960, as Teledyne, Inc., by Henry Singleton and George Kozmetsky....
) in 1961.
In 1964, he founded Union Carbide Electronics, and in 1967 Intersil
Intersil
Intersil Corporation is an American company that specializes in the design, development and manufacturing of high-performance analog semiconductors for four high-growth markets — Communications, Computing, High End Consumer and Industrial.-Company history:...
.
He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal from the Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 1969 and the McDowell Award
McDowell Award
The W. Wallace McDowell Award is awarded by the IEEE Computer Society for outstanding recent theoretical, design, educational, practical, or other similar innovative contributions that fall within the scope of Computer Society interest...
in 1972.
An avid mountain climber, Hoerni often visited the Karakoram Mountains in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and was moved by the poverty of the Balti mountain people who lived there. He contributed the lion's share, $12,000, to Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson
Greg Mortenson, SPk is an American humanitarian, professional speaker, writer, and former mountaineer. He is the co-founder and executive director of the non-profit Central Asia Institute as well as the founder of the educational charity Pennies for Peace...
's project to build a school in the remote village of Korphe, and later founded the Central Asia Institute
Central Asia Institute
The Central Asia Institute is an American non-profit organization, co-founded by Greg Mortenson and Jean Hoerni and based in Bozeman, Montana...
with an endowment of $1 million to continue providing services for them after his death. Hoerni named Greg Mortenson as the first Executive Director of the organization, which continues to build schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He died of myelofibrosis on January 12, 1997 in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
.
In Dec. 2007, an article was published by Michael Riordan on Jean Hoerni and his planar process
Planar process
The planar process is a manufacturing process used in the semiconductor industry to build individual components of a transistor, and in turn, connect those transistors together. It is the primary process by which modern integrated circuits are built...
in IEEE Spectrum
IEEE Spectrum
IEEE Spectrum is a magazine edited by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE's description of it is:IEEE Spectrum began publishing in January 1964 as a successor to Electrical Engineering...
. The author claimed that Jay Last
Jay Last
Jay T. Last is a silicon pioneer and a member of the so-called Traitorous Eight that founded Silicon Valley.He was born in 1929 in Butler, Pennsylvania. He earned his bachelor's degree in Optics at the University of Rochester in 1951 and his Ph.D...
pointed out that Hoerni had incredible stamina and could hike for hours on little food or water.