Victor Henry Grinich(November 26, 1924 – November 5, 2000) was a pioneer in thesemiconductor industryand a member of the "traitorous eight"that foundedFairchild SemiconductorinSilicon Valley.[1][2]
Victor Grinich | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Victor Grgurinovic November 26, 1924 |
| Died | November 5, 2000(aged 75) |
| Alma mater | University of Washington Stanford University |
| Occupation(s) | Co-founder ofFairchild Semiconductor Professor atStanford&UC Berkeley |
| Children | Nicholas P. Grinich Anita Grinich Philip Grinich |
Early life and education
editBorn toCroatianimmigrant parents, his original surname was Grgurinovic.[1]Born inAberdeen, Washington,he served in theUnited States NavyduringWorld War II.To make his last name easier to pronounce during military roll calls, he officially changed it to "Grinich".[1]
Grinich received a bachelor's degree from theUniversity of Washingtonin 1946 and a master's degree in 1949, and then earned aPh.D.in 1951 fromStanford University.[3]
Career
editInitially a researcher atSRI International,he worked at the seminalShockley Semiconductor LaboratoryofBeckman Instruments,and then left with other disgruntled members of the "traitorous eight" to create the influentialFairchild Semiconductorcorporation.[4]
Among the physicists, mathematicians and metallurgists in the group, Grinich was the only electrical engineer.[5]
Grinich left Fairchild in 1968 to study computer science while teaching electrical engineering atUC Berkeley.He later taught atStanford Universityas well.[6]In 1975, he published a textbook,Introduction to Integrated Circuits.[7]
In 1978, he was appointed chief executive officer of Identronix, a company that pioneeredRadio-frequency identificationsystems, which are now used extensively in anti-theft tags. In 1985, Grinich founded and became CEO ofEscort Memory Systemsto commercialize RFID tags for industrial applications. EMS was acquired byDatalogicin 1989.[8]
In 1993, he co-founded Arkos Design, a manufacturer of emulators. The company was acquired bySynopsysin 1995.[9]Grinich retired in 1997 and died ofprostate cancerin 2000, at age 75.[10]
References
edit- ^abcGaither, Chris (2000-11-11)."Victor Grinich, 75, Co-Founder Of Upstart Electronics Company".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2022-06-20.
- ^"The Traitorous Eight Traitorously Leave Shockley Semiconductor".pbs.org.Retrieved2022-06-20.
- ^"Alumni Profiles".University of Washington. Archived fromthe originalon January 7, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 10,2013.
- ^McLaughlin, John R.; Weimers, Leigh A.; Winslow, Wardell V. (2008).Silicon Valley: 110 Year Renaissance.Palo Alto, California:Santa Clara Valley Historical Association. p. 54.ISBN978-0-9649217-4-0.
- ^Chris Gaither (11 November 2000)."Victor Grinich, 75, Co-Founder Of Upstart Electronics Company".The New York Times.p. C 16.Retrieved2 November2020.
- ^"The Silicon Engine | People".Computer History Museum.RetrievedJanuary 10,2013.
- ^Grinich, Victor H.; Jackson, Horace G. (1975).Introduction to integrated circuits.McGraw-Hill.ISBN0-07-024875-3.
- ^"Company Overview of Escort Memory Systems".Archived fromthe originalon April 10, 2013.RetrievedJanuary 23,2018.
- ^"Synopsys Acquires Arkos; Technology Supports High-Speed HDL Validation".
- ^"Victor Grinich Dies".The Washington Post.11 November 2000.