Bruno Murari

Last updated
Bruno Murari
Born1936
Treviso, Italy
NationalityItalian
OccupationElectronics engineer
Known for Integrated circuits developer
Children2
Awards Elmer A. Sperry Award, 2017

Bruno Murari is an Italian inventor. During his career he has patented about 200 inventions in the field of circuit design, power technologies and MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) devices. He is the only Italian to have received the Elmer A. Sperry Award., [1] which is awarded to those who have distinguished themselves with proven engineering contributions to advance the field of transport. He was defined "legendary analog engineer" [2] and "father" of the BCD technology [3]

Contents

Early years

Murari grew up in Venice, on the island of San Giorgio and, after earning a diploma in electrical engineering, in 1955 at the Technical Institute "A. Pacinotti" in Mestre, he began working for Edison Volta, for which he designed substations and power lines in Val Camonica.

In 1961 he was hired at the Somiren (Nuclear Energy Radioactive Minerals Society) of San Donato Milanese, a small company of the Agip Nuclear group. After work, he attended evening classes at the Aurelio Beltrami Radiotechnical Institute and obtained an electronic expert's diploma two years later. [4]

STMicroelectronics

In November 1961 Murari transferred to SGS (General semiconductor company) of Agrate Brianza, today STMicroelectronics, a startup founded by Adriano Olivetti and Virgilio Floriani, founder of Telettra, first at the Applications Laboratory and then in the linear integrated circuits design group. Thanks to the partnership with the semiconductor company Fairchild Semiconductor, he began collaborating with Bob Widlar, one of the pioneers of integrated circuit design.

At the end of the 1960s he developed the first audio amplifier integrated circuit for TVs and portable radios. Then he adapted the technology for integrated circuits, initially developed in the consumer electronics field, to the automotive market, obtaining the first voltage regulator with metal casing for automotive alternators, made with the STMicroelectronics bipolar process.

In 1972 he took on responsibility for the design of linear integrated circuits and in 1981 he became Director of the Research Laboratories of Cornaredo, whose mission was to develop technologies regarding high voltage integrated circuits. [5]

Since 1998 Murari has begun the development of technologies and some MEMS devices (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems), [6] such as pressure transducers and multiaxial accelerometers, which have been used in video games, in smartphones and in numerous technological products. [7]

Works

Achievements

In his career, Murari personally designed 10 integrated circuits, directed the development of over 2,000 integrated circuits and obtained more than 200 patents in the field of circuit design, power technologies and MEMS devices. He is considered the "father" of the BCD technology [8] (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS), which integrates bipolar technology for analog circuits, CMOS technology for control and digital logic and robust power components DMOS at high voltage. The resulting processes enabled the development of new applications in different areas, such as the automotive industry (and subsequent vehicle electrification; electronic engine control, replacement of mechanically controlled ignition systems with electronic modules), hard drives, starter for discharge lamps and high-powered car stereo systems.

Awards

Personal life

Bruno Murari is married, with two children. He is passionate about free-flying model aircraft.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Integrated circuit</span> Electronic circuit formed on a small, flat piece of semiconductor material

An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip, computer chip, or simply chip, is a small electronic device made up of multiple interconnected electronic components such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors. These components are etched onto a small piece of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Integrated circuits are used in a wide range of electronic devices, including computers, smartphones, and televisions, to perform various functions such as processing and storing information. They have greatly impacted the field of electronics by enabling device miniaturization and enhanced functionality.

<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">Photodiode</span> Converts light into current

A photodiode is a semiconductor diode sensitive to photon radiation, such as visible light, infrared or ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. It produces an electrical current when it absorbs photons. This can be used for detection and measurement applications, or for the generation of electrical power in solar cells. Photodiodes are used in a wide range of applications throughout the electromagnetic spectrum from visible light photocells to gamma ray spectrometers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMOS</span> Technology for constructing integrated circuits

Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a type of metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) fabrication process that uses complementary and symmetrical pairs of p-type and n-type MOSFETs for logic functions. CMOS technology is used for constructing integrated circuit (IC) chips, including microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory chips, and other digital logic circuits. CMOS technology is also used for analog circuits such as image sensors, data converters, RF circuits, and highly integrated transceivers for many types of communication.

SPICE is a general-purpose, open-source analog electronic circuit simulator. It is a program used in integrated circuit and board-level design to check the integrity of circuit designs and to predict circuit behavior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analog Devices</span> American semiconductor manufacturer

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), also known simply as Analog, is an American multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion, signal processing, and power management technology, headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mixed-signal integrated circuit</span> Integrated circuit

A mixed-signal integrated circuit is any integrated circuit that has both analog circuits and digital circuits on a single semiconductor die. Their usage has grown dramatically with the increased use of cell phones, telecommunications, portable electronics, and automobiles with electronics and digital sensors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electronic component</span> Discrete device in an electronic system

An electronic component is any basic discrete electronic device or physical entity part of an electronic system used to affect electrons or their associated fields. Electronic components are mostly industrial products, available in a singular form and are not to be confused with electrical elements, which are conceptual abstractions representing idealized electronic components and elements. A datasheet for an electronic component is a technical document that provides detailed information about the component's specifications, characteristics, and performance.

<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 metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). VMOS is also used to describe the V-groove shape vertically cut into the substrate material.

BCDMOS is a complex circuit composed of Bipolar, CMOS and LDMOS devices. It can also be made with Bipolar, CMOS and DMOS devices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power management integrated circuit</span> Computer component

Power management integrated circuits are integrated circuits for power management. Although PMIC refers to a wide range of chips, most include several DC/DC converters or their control part. A PMIC is often included in battery-operated devices and embedded devices to decrease the amount of space required.

Stanley Shanfield serves as a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff and Technical Director of Advanced Hardware Development at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a post he has held since 2003. He is the holder of seven patents and has led teams responsible for inventing and manufacturing new technologies in the fields of semiconductor device fabrication and optical electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electromechanics</span> Multidisciplinary field of engineering

In engineering, electromechanics combines processes and procedures drawn from electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. Electromechanics focuses on the interaction of electrical and mechanical systems as a whole and how the two systems interact with each other. This process is especially prominent in systems such as those of DC or AC rotating electrical machines which can be designed and operated to generate power from a mechanical process (generator) or used to power a mechanical effect (motor). Electrical engineering in this context also encompasses electronics engineering.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to electronics:

<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. It comes in two types: junction FET (JFET) and metal-oxide-semiconductor FET (MOSFET). FETs have 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.

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

Helix Semiconductors, formerly Semitrex, is an Irvine, California-based fabless semiconductor company that designs chips for improved power management. The company's patented capacitive voltage reduction technology uses cascading capacitors to store power and convert voltages on chips, reducing the energy consumption of electronic devices.

RF CMOS is a metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuit (IC) technology that integrates radio-frequency (RF), analog and digital electronics on a mixed-signal CMOS RF circuit chip. It is widely used in modern wireless telecommunications, such as cellular networks, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS receivers, broadcasting, vehicular communication systems, and the radio transceivers in all modern mobile phones and wireless networking devices. RF CMOS technology was pioneered by Pakistani engineer Asad Ali Abidi at UCLA during the late 1980s to early 1990s, and helped bring about the wireless revolution with the introduction of digital signal processing in wireless communications. The development and design of RF CMOS devices was enabled by van der Ziel's FET RF noise model, which was published in the early 1960s and remained largely forgotten until the 1990s.

References

  1. Notari, Marco (10 September 2019). "83 years and 200 patents. The story of Bruno Murari". ThePatent.news.
  2. Knivett, Vanessa (19 August 2008). "Analog profile: Benedetto Vigna". EDN.
  3. Ohr, Stephan (17 April 2000). "Postcard from Milano". EDN. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. "Bruno Murari". IEEE.org.
  5. "Technologies Tip the Scales Below 90 nm". Powerelectronics.com. 1 February 2005.
  6. Murray, Chuck (23 September 2003). "Sensors bring inertia to cell phones and PDAs". EDN.
  7. Markoff, John (27 July 1998). "In Milan a Subtle Artisan Finds a Medium in New Analog Chips". New York Times.
  8. Ohr, Stephan (17 April 2000). "Postcard from Milano". EDN. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  9. "European SEMI Award Guidelines". Semi.org. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  10. "MEMS Industry Group's 10th Annual Executive Conference Showcases Rapid Innovation in MEMS/Sensors". Globe Newswire. 7 November 2014.