Alex Lidow

Last updated
Alex Lidow
Alma mater Caltech
Stanford University
Occupation(s)CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC)

Alex Lidow is CEO and co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC), [1] former CEO of International Rectifier and is the co-inventor of the HEXFET power MOSFET, a power transistor. Lidow is co-author of the book GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion (2012, Wiley). He has authored numerous peer reviewed publications on related subjects, and received the 2015 SEMI Award for North America for the commercialization of more efficient power devices. [2] Lidow was one of the lead representatives of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) for the trade negotiations that resulted in the U.S. – Japan Trade Accord of 1986 and testified to Congress on multiple occasions on behalf of the industry. [3]

Contents

A co-inventor of the HEXFET(R) power MOSFET, Lidow holds 21 patents on power semiconductor technology. [4]

Career

In 1977 Lidow began a 30-year career at International Rectifier (IR), founded by his grandfather and his father Eric Lidow (CEO at the time) in 1947, as an R&D engineer. [5] Lidow became Vice President of R&D at International Rectifier in 1979, and was subsequently appointed head of manufacturing, head of sales and marketing. Lidow was elected to the Board of Directors in 1994. In March 1995, Lidow replaced his father as the Chief Executive Officer, serving alongside his brother Derek Lidow, who departed International Rectifier and founded market research firm iSuppli in 1999. Under Lidow’s leadership, International Rectifier was named one of the best managed companies in America by Forbes magazine in 2005. [6] Lidow would remain on as CEO at International Rectifier until October 2007. After leaving International Rectifier, Lidow founded Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) in 2007, an American technology company that designs and manufactures gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors, [1] which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globally. [7] Lidow and International Rectifier filed opposing lawsuits over his termination from IR, which were settled out of court in 2013. [8] [9] Lidow published contributions to the electronics industry range from multiple technology patents to the co-inventing of the HEXFET power MOSFET. Lidow co-authored the book GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion in 2012. [10] In addition, his writing has been published in numerous blogs and publications, both online and off. [11]

Education

Lidow holds degrees from Caltech and Stanford. He received his Bachelor of Science in Applied Physics from Caltech in 1975, and a Ph.D. in applied physics from Stanford University in 1977 as a Hertz Foundation Fellow. [12]

Boards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transistor</span> Solid-state electrically operated switch also used as an amplifier

A transistor is a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electrical signals and power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semiconductor material, usually with at least three terminals for connection to an electronic circuit. A voltage or current applied to one pair of the transistor's terminals controls the current through another pair of terminals. Because the controlled (output) power can be higher than the controlling (input) power, a transistor can amplify a signal. Some transistors are packaged individually, but many more in miniature form are found embedded in integrated circuits. Because transistors are the key active components in practically all modern electronics, many people consider them one of the 20th century's greatest inventions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Semiconductor device</span> Electronic component that exploits the electronic properties of semiconductor materials

A semiconductor device is an electronic component that relies on the electronic properties of a semiconductor material for its function. Its conductivity lies between conductors and insulators. Semiconductor devices have replaced vacuum tubes in most applications. They conduct electric current in the solid state, rather than as free electrons across a vacuum or as free electrons and ions through an ionized gas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Insulated-gate bipolar transistor</span> Type of solid state switch

An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily forming an electronic switch. It was developed to combine high efficiency with fast switching. It consists of four alternating layers (P–N–P–N) that are controlled by a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) gate structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallium arsenide</span> Chemical compound

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a III-V direct band gap semiconductor with a zinc blende crystal structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallium nitride</span> Chemical compound

Gallium nitride is a binary III/V direct bandgap semiconductor commonly used in blue light-emitting diodes since the 1990s. The compound is a very hard material that has a Wurtzite crystal structure. Its wide band gap of 3.4 eV affords it special properties for applications in optoelectronic, high-power and high-frequency devices. For example, GaN is the substrate which makes violet (405 nm) laser diodes possible, without requiring nonlinear optical frequency-doubling.

A power semiconductor device is a semiconductor device used as a switch or rectifier in power electronics. Such a device is also called a power device or, when used in an integrated circuit, a power IC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-electron-mobility transistor</span> Type of field-effect transistor

A high-electron-mobility transistor, also known as heterostructure FET (HFET) or modulation-doped FET (MODFET), is a field-effect transistor incorporating a junction between two materials with different band gaps as the channel instead of a doped region. A commonly used material combination is GaAs with AlGaAs, though there is wide variation, dependent on the application of the device. Devices incorporating more indium generally show better high-frequency performance, while in recent years, gallium nitride HEMTs have attracted attention due to their high-power performance. Like other FETs, HEMTs are used in integrated circuits as digital on-off switches. FETs can also be used as amplifiers for large amounts of current using a small voltage as a control signal. Both of these uses are made possible by the FET’s unique current–voltage characteristics. HEMT transistors are able to operate at higher frequencies than ordinary transistors, up to millimeter wave frequencies, and are used in high-frequency products such as cell phones, satellite television receivers, voltage converters, and radar equipment. They are widely used in satellite receivers, in low power amplifiers and in the defense industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power electronics</span> Technology of power electronics

Power electronics is the application of electronics to the control and conversion of electric power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power MOSFET</span> MOSFET that can handle significant power levels

A power MOSFET is a specific type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) designed to handle significant power levels. Compared to the other power semiconductor devices, such as an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) or a thyristor, its main advantages are high switching speed and good efficiency at low voltages. It shares with the IGBT an isolated gate that makes it easy to drive. They can be subject to low gain, sometimes to a degree that the gate voltage needs to be higher than the voltage under control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VMOS</span>

A VMOS transistor is a type of MOSFET. VMOS is also used for describing the V-groove shape vertically cut into the substrate material. VMOS is an acronym for "vertical metal oxide semiconductor", or "V-groove MOS".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Rectifier</span> American technology company

International Rectifier was an American power management technology company manufacturing analog and mixed-signal ICs, advanced circuit devices, integrated power systems, and high-performance integrated components for computing. On 13 January 2015, the company became a part of Infineon Technologies.

SONOS, short for "silicon–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon", more precisely, "polycrystalline silicon"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon nitride"—"silicon dioxide"—"silicon", is a cross sectional structure of MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), realized by P.C.Y. Chen of Fairchild Camera and Instrument in 1977. This structure is often used for non-volatile memories, such as EEPROM and flash memories. It is sometimes used for TFT LCD displays. It is one of CTF (charge trap flash) variants. It is distinguished from traditional non-volatile memory structures by the use of silicon nitride (Si3N4 or Si9N10) instead of "polysilicon-based FG (floating-gate)" for the charge storage material. A further variant is "SHINOS" ("silicon"—"hi-k"—"nitride"—"oxide"—"silicon"), which is substituted top oxide layer with high-κ material. Another advanced variant is "MONOS" ("metal–oxide–nitride–oxide–silicon"). Companies offering SONOS-based products include Cypress Semiconductor, Macronix, Toshiba, United Microelectronics Corporation and Floadia.

A transistor is a semiconductor device with at least three terminals for connection to an electric circuit. In the common case, the third terminal controls the flow of current between the other two terminals. This can be used for amplification, as in the case of a radio receiver, or for rapid switching, as in the case of digital circuits. The transistor replaced the vacuum-tube triode, also called a (thermionic) valve, which was much larger in size and used significantly more power to operate.The first transistor was successfully demonstrated on December 23, 1947, at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Bell Labs was the research arm of American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). The three individuals credited with the invention of the transistor were William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter Brattain. The introduction of the transistor is often considered one of the most important inventions in history.

The Compact Model Coalition is a working group in the Electronic Design Automation industry formed to choose, maintain and promote the use of standard semiconductor device models. Commercial and industrial analog simulators need to add device models as technology advances and earlier models become inaccurate. Before this group was formed, new transistor models were largely proprietary, which severely limited the choice of simulators that could be used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishay Intertechnology</span> American semiconductor manufacturer

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. is an American manufacturer of discrete semiconductors and passive electronic components founded by Polish-born businessman Felix Zandman. Vishay has manufacturing plants in Israel, Asia, Europe, and the Americas where it produces rectifiers, diodes, MOSFETs, optoelectronics, selected integrated circuits, resistors, capacitors, and inductors. Vishay Intertechnology revenues for 2022 were $3.5 billion. As of December 31, 2022, Vishay Intertechnology had approximately 23,900 full-time employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MACOM Technology Solutions</span>

MACOM Technology Solutions is a developer and producer of radio, microwave, and millimeter wave semiconductor devices and components. The company is headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, and in 2005 was Lowell's largest private employer. MACOM is certified to the ISO 9001 international quality standard and ISO 14001 environmental standard. The company has design centers and sales offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Field-effect transistor</span> Type of transistor

The field-effect transistor (FET) is a type of transistor that uses an electric field to control the flow of current in a semiconductor. FETs are devices with three terminals: source, gate, and drain. FETs control the flow of current by the application of a voltage to the gate, which in turn alters the conductivity between the drain and source.

Umesh K. Mishra is a professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (1990–Present). In 2023, he was appointed dean of the UC Santa Barbara College of Engineering. He is the CTO, co-founder and board member of Transphorm, founded in 2007 and the first company to deliver gallium nitride (GaN) transistor products for high efficiency power conversion technologies. Prior to Transphorm, he co-founded Nitres Inc. in 1996, which was the first company to develop GaN LEDs and transistors.

Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) is a semiconductor company that produces transistors and integrated circuits based on gallium nitride (GaN). The company was founded in 2007 by Alex Lidow, Joe Cao and Robert Beach, with Lidow continuing as CEO. The company is based in El Segundo, California. Its eGaN® FETs and ICs are widely used in the Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) systems for self-driving and autonomous vehicles, such as the lidar systems developed by Velodyne. In 2020, the company entered into a joint venture with VPT to form EPC Space which provides radiation-hardened GaN devices for space applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srabanti Chowdhury</span> Indian American Electrical Engineer

Srabanti Chowdhury is an Indian American Electrical Engineer who is an associate professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. She is a senior fellow of the Precourt Institute for Energy. At Stanford she works on ultra-wide and wide-bandgap semiconductors and device engineering for energy-efficient electronic devices. She serves as Director for Science Collaborations at the United States Department of Energy Energy Frontier Research Center ULTRA.

References

  1. 1 2 Triangulation (2017-10-27), Triangulation 319: Our Friend Gallium Nitride , retrieved 2017-10-29
  2. ↑ “SEMI Award For North America” Archived 2016-08-05 at the Wayback Machine semi.org
  3. ↑ “Reciprocal Trade and Investment Act” Senate.gov. 1983-03-04. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  4. ↑ “Patents by Alexander Lidow” Justia Patents. Retrieved 2016-08-17
  5. ↑ Rogers,Bruce “Alex Lidow's Quest To Replace Silicon And Revolutionize Electronics” Forbes.com. 2015-09-03. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  6. ↑ “Best Managed Companies in America: Turbocharged” Forbes.com. 2005-01-10. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  7. ↑ Toback, Steve “Look Out Silicon Valley, Here Comes Gallium Beach” FoxBusiness.com. 2016-03-18. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  8. ↑ Clarke, Peter “International Rectifier sues former CEO Alex Lidow” EETimes.com. 2009-01-19. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  9. ↑ “Alexander Lidow v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County International Rectifier Corp” FindLaw.com. 2012-05-23. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  10. ↑ Lidow, Alex, Strydom, Johan, de Rooij, Michael, Reusch, David “GaN Transistors for Efficient Power Conversion, 2nd Edition” Wiley
  11. ↑ “Alex Lidow – Google Scholar Citations” Scholar.Google.com. Retrieved 2016-08-17
  12. ↑ “Hertz Foundation Fellows” Retrieved 2016-08-12
  13. ↑ “Alexander Lidow Elected to Caltech Board of Trustees” Caltech.edu. 1998-08-27. Retrieved 2016-08-12
  14. ↑ “AMENDMENT NO. 2 TO FORM S-3 REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933” Nasdaq.com. 2000-03-07. Retrieved 2016-08-12
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.