John Milton Miller
Encyclopedia
John Milton Miller was a noted American
electrical engineer, best known for discovering the Miller effect
and inventing fundamental circuits for quartz
crystal oscillator
s (Miller oscillators).
Miller was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania
. In 1904 he graduated from Yale University
, in 1907 he received an M.A. from Yale, and in 1915 he received his Ph.D. in physics
from Yale. From 1907-1919 he was a physicist with the National Bureau of Standards, then a radio engineer at the United States Navy
's Radio Laboratory (1919-1923) in Anacostia, District of Columbia, and subsequently at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). From 1925-1936 he led radio receiver research at the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, and from 1936-1940 was assistant head of the research laboratory for the RCA Radiotron Company. In 1940 he returned to NRL where he became superintendent of Radio I Division (1945), associate director of research (1951), and scientific research administrator (1952). He married Frances Riley; the couple had seven children — two girls and five boys.
Miller was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 1945 for "initiation of the development of a new flexible radio-frequency cable urgently needed in radio and radar equipment which solved a desperate material shortage in the United States during World War II," and the IRE Medal of Honor in 1953 for "his pioneering contributions to our basic knowledge of electron tube theory, of radio instruments and measurements, and of crystal controlled oscillators."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electrical engineer, best known for discovering the Miller effect
Miller effect
In electronics, the Miller effect accounts for the increase in the equivalent input capacitance of an inverting voltage amplifier due to amplification of the effect of capacitance between the input and output terminals...
and inventing fundamental circuits for quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
crystal oscillator
Crystal oscillator
A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very precise frequency...
s (Miller oscillators).
Miller was born in Hanover, Pennsylvania
Hanover, Pennsylvania
Hanover is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania, southwest of York and north-northwest of Baltimore, Maryland.The town is situated in a productive agricultural region. The population was 15,289 at the 2010 census. The borough is served by a 717 area code and the Zip Codes of 17331-34...
. In 1904 he graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, in 1907 he received an M.A. from Yale, and in 1915 he received his Ph.D. in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
from Yale. From 1907-1919 he was a physicist with the National Bureau of Standards, then a radio engineer at the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
's Radio Laboratory (1919-1923) in Anacostia, District of Columbia, and subsequently at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). From 1925-1936 he led radio receiver research at the Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company, Philadelphia, and from 1936-1940 was assistant head of the research laboratory for the RCA Radiotron Company. In 1940 he returned to NRL where he became superintendent of Radio I Division (1945), associate director of research (1951), and scientific research administrator (1952). He married Frances Riley; the couple had seven children — two girls and five boys.
Miller was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 1945 for "initiation of the development of a new flexible radio-frequency cable urgently needed in radio and radar equipment which solved a desperate material shortage in the United States during World War II," and the IRE Medal of Honor in 1953 for "his pioneering contributions to our basic knowledge of electron tube theory, of radio instruments and measurements, and of crystal controlled oscillators."