About the Author:
Jayant
Baliga is an internationally recognized expert on power semiconductor
devices. He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of
the IEEE. He spent 15 years at the General Electric Research and Development
Center, Schenectady, NY, leading their power device effort and was bestowed the
highest scientific rank of Coolidge Fellow. He joined NCSU in 1988 as a Full
Professor and was promoted to the rank of 'Distinguished University Professor'
in 1997. Among his many NCSU honors, he was the recepient of the 1998 O. Max
Gardner Award given by the North Carolina University Board of Governors to the
one person within the 16 constituent universities who has made 'the greatest
contribution to the welfare of the human race'; and the 2011 Alexander Quarles Holladay
Medal of Excellence, the highest honor at NCSU from the Board of
Trustees.
Prof. Baliga has
authored/edited 18 books and over 500 scientific articles. He has been granted
120 U.S. Patents. The IEEE has recognized him numerous times - most recently
with the 'Lamme Medal' at Whitehall Palace in London. Scientific American
magazine included him among the 'Eight Heroes of the Semiconductor Revolution'
when commemorating the 50th anniversary of the invention of the
transistor.
Prof. Baliga
invented, developed and commercialized the Insulated Gate Bipolar Trannsistor
(IGBT) at GE. The IGBT is extensively used in the consumer, industrial,
lighting, transportation, medical, renewable energy, and other sectors of the
economy. It has enabled enormous reduction of gasoline and electrical energy
use, resulting in huge cost savings to consumers, and reduction of world-wide
carbon dioxide emissions. A detailed report on the applications and social
impact of the IGBT is available. He received the National Medal of Technology
and Innovation, the highest form of recognition given to an engineer by the
United States Government, from President Obama in October 2011, at the White
House; and the North Carolina Award for Science from Governor Purdue in October
2012. |
