Lester Hogan
Encyclopedia
Clarence Lester "Les" Hogan (February 8, 1920 – August 12, 2008) was an American
physicist
and a pioneer in microwave
and semiconductor
technology.
He grew up as a brother to three sisters in Great Falls, Montana
, where his father worked for the Great Northern Railway. After graduating from Montana State University
with a degree in chemical engineering
he joined the United States Navy
in 1942. He did some work on acoustic torpedo
es in Chesapeake Bay
, and when being approached by Bell Laboratories, subsequently went to the Pacific theatre to train submarine crews in the use of that technology.
After the war he did post-graduate studies at Lehigh University
and obtained a Ph.D. in Physics. He then joined Bell Labs in 1950. A couple of months later he invented the Microwave Gyrator
(a device which can simulate inductance by substituting an RC circuit, thus getting rid of awkward coil assemblies). He worked under Bill Shockley
, inventor of the transistor
and Nobel Prize
laureate. From 1953 through 1958 he was a professor at Harvard University
, when he was asked by Dan Noble to join Motorola in Phoenix, Arizona
as Vice President and General Manager of the semiconductor operation.
In 1968 he moved to Fairchild Camera & Instrument
as Chairman and CEO, taking eight senior executives (nicknamed Hogan's Heroes) with him. This move caused Motorola to sue Fairchild (unsuccessfully) for theft of trade secrets.
In 1975 he received IEEE's "Frederik Philips Award". In 1978 he was honoured with the "AeA Medal of Achievement". In 1993 he received the "MTT-S Microwave Pioneer Award". In 1996, a chair at the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley
was named in his honor. On October 20, 1999, he was inducted as "Eminent Member" of Eta Kappa Nu
, "the society’s highest membership classification, to be conferred upon those select few whose technical attainments and contributions to society through leadership in the field of electrical and computer engineering have resulted in significant benefits to humankind".
C. Lester Hogan died at the age of 88 due to complications of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Atherton, California. He is survived by his wife, the former Audrey Biery Peters and his daughter Cheryl Lea Hogan.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and a pioneer in microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
and semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
technology.
He grew up as a brother to three sisters in Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls, Montana
Great Falls is a city in and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States. The population was 58,505 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Great Falls, Montana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Cascade County...
, where his father worked for the Great Northern Railway. After graduating from Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
with a degree in chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
he joined 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...
in 1942. He did some work on acoustic torpedo
Acoustic torpedo
An acoustic torpedo is a torpedo that aims itself by listening for characteristic sounds of its target or by searching for it using sonar. Acoustic torpedoes are usually designed for medium-range use, and often fired from a submarine....
es in Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, and when being approached by Bell Laboratories, subsequently went to the Pacific theatre to train submarine crews in the use of that technology.
After the war he did post-graduate studies at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
and obtained a Ph.D. in Physics. He then joined Bell Labs in 1950. A couple of months later he invented the Microwave Gyrator
Gyrator
A gyrator is a passive, linear, lossless, two-port electrical network element proposed in 1948 by Tellegen as a hypothetical fifth linear element after the resistor, capacitor, inductor and ideal transformer. Unlike the four conventional elements, the gyrator is non-reciprocal...
(a device which can simulate inductance by substituting an RC circuit, thus getting rid of awkward coil assemblies). He worked under Bill 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...
, inventor 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...
and Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate. From 1953 through 1958 he was a professor at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, when he was asked by Dan Noble to join Motorola in Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
as Vice President and General Manager of the semiconductor operation.
In 1968 he moved to Fairchild Camera & Instrument
Fairchild Camera and Instrument
Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation was a company founded by Sherman Fairchild. It was based on the East Coast of the United States, and provided research and development for flash photography equipment...
as Chairman and CEO, taking eight senior executives (nicknamed Hogan's Heroes) with him. This move caused Motorola to sue Fairchild (unsuccessfully) for theft of trade secrets.
In 1975 he received IEEE's "Frederik Philips Award". In 1978 he was honoured with the "AeA Medal of Achievement". In 1993 he received the "MTT-S Microwave Pioneer Award". In 1996, a chair at the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
was named in his honor. On October 20, 1999, he was inducted as "Eminent Member" of Eta Kappa Nu
Eta Kappa Nu
Eta Kappa Nu is the electrical and computer engineering honor society of the IEEE, founded in October 1904 by Maurice L. Carr at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The organization currently has around 200 student chapters and about 3,000,000 members and is headquartered in Chicago,...
, "the society’s highest membership classification, to be conferred upon those select few whose technical attainments and contributions to society through leadership in the field of electrical and computer engineering have resulted in significant benefits to humankind".
C. Lester Hogan died at the age of 88 due to complications of Alzheimer's disease at his home in Atherton, California. He is survived by his wife, the former Audrey Biery Peters and his daughter Cheryl Lea Hogan.
External links
- Stanford University (Silicon Genesis) (Interview with Les Hogan – 1995)
- Stanford University (Silicon Genesis) (Interview with Les Hogan – 1995)
- SU Silicon Genesis Project ("An Oral History of Semiconductor Technology")
- Electronic Engineering Times ("The Hogan bombshell" – October 30, 1997)
- Smithsonian Chips ("Motorola vs Fairchild case files")
- AeA (Gala: "60th anniversary of the founding of AeA" – October 16, 2003)
- HKN ("HKN Eminent Members List")
- Biography - Clarence Lester Hogan, Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions, Jan 1958 http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=1125174