Doris Kilbane
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ED Online ID #8686 |
September 13, 2004
KURT PETERSEN Kurt Petersen's 1982 paper on "Silicon as a Mechanical Material" has made him a leader in the fight against terrorism. The still highly read and regarded article was a lightning bolt in the field of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). He was the first to suggest that tiny mechanical machines be manufactured using the same silicon technology employed to make computer chips. MEMS integrate sensors, actuators, mechanical elements, and electronics on a silicon substrate using microfabrication technology. Enter the complete electromechanical system on a chip. On top of that, unprecedented levels of functionality, reliability, and sophistication at a relatively low cost were achievable. Shortly after writing the article while at IBM, Petersen left to start the first of three MEMS startups, Transensory Devices Inc. (TDI), an R&D operation now part of Measurement Specialties. NovaSensor, now under the auspices of General Electric, followed next as one of the most successful MEMS companies to date. Its MEMS-based sensors can be found in a wide range of industries, from automotive and medical to consumer and industrial applications. Petersen is now chief technology officer and a director of Cepheid, which he co-founded in 1996, where his work brought him into the anti-terrorism battle. Cepheid's products test DNA in less than 30 minutes versus the hours and days required with other systems. All told, Petersen holds more than 34 patents on devices that improve performance in products ranging from scuba-diving instruments to washing-machine controls. He has authored more than 100 papers and presentations. Petersen, a member of the National Academy of Engineering, was awarded the Simon Ramo Medal by the IEEE in recognition of his contributions to "the commercialization of MEMS technology." Dr. Petersen is also a consulting professor at Stanford University.
AN WANG By regulating the flow of magnetic energy, Dr. An Wang's "pulse transfer controlling" device finally made the production of magnetic core memory a practical reality. The controller, invented in 1949, used minuscule toroidal coils with a donut-shaped ferrite core magnetized in one of two possible directions (0 or 1). It quickly became recognized as the ideal substratum for holding memory in the new electronic calculators. Wang was granted his patent six years later. After harsh negotiations, it was sold to IBM. By then he had founded Wang Laboratories (1951), soon to become one of the most successful corporations of the Information Age. It was at the forefront in the production of the electronic calculators, word processors, and computers and led the charge in designing smaller and more efficient versions. In time, Wang employed 30,000 people with sales of $3 billion a year. One of the first leading products in the electronic calculator field was LOCI, a desktop computer that generated logarithms with a single keystroke. Its technology was the basis of subsequent Wang electronic calculators, such as the Wang 300, 360, 370, and 700. When integrated circuits arrived in the late 1960s, Wang wisely went into a new direction—word processing and computers. It soon dominated this market with the VS WANG computer line. By the beginning of the 1980s, Wang was ready to retire. He had faced many challenges since immigrating to the U.S. from Shanghai in 1945. In fact, only three years after his arrival, he received a PhD in applied physics from Harvard University. He subsequently earned more than 35 patents. Wang contributed to many philanthropies, including local schools and the performing arts. He died in 1990, leaving two great legacies: one of pioneering memory technology and a second of the belief of sharing wealth with others.
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