Robert J. Widlar (November, 1937 – February 27, 1991) was a pioneer in the design of integrated circuits. He made his fame with Fairchild Semiconductor in the 1960s. Many of his designs were the first of their kind, or became industry standard parts. These include the μA702, which was the first IC opamp, and the 723 voltage regulator. Widlar designed the LM101, the parent of (and nearly identical to) the ubiquitous 741. Integrated circuit of Atmel Diopsis 740 System on Chip showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery Microchips with a transparent window, showing the integrated circuit inside. ... Fairchild Semiconductor introduced the first commercially available integrated circuit (although at almost the same time as one from Texas Instruments), and would go on to become one of the major players in the evolution of Silicon Valley in the 1960s. ... A 741 operational amplifier in a TO-5 metal can package An operational amplifier, usually referred to as an op-amp for brevity, is a DC-coupled high-gain electronic voltage amplifier with differential inputs and, usually, a single output. ...

He also invented circuit topologies, including the Widlar current source and bandgap voltage reference, that are used in almost any practical analog IC. Widlar current source. ... A bandgap voltage reference is a voltage reference circuit widely used in integrated circuits, usually with an output voltage around 1. ...

Early life and education

He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, taking an interest in electronics at a young age. By the age of 15 he was repairing radio and television sets. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ...

He entered the Air Force as a technical instructor in 1958. In February of the next year, he began to take classes at the University of Colorado's Extension Center. During this time, he was working for Ball Brothers Research Corporation in Boulder, Colorado designing linear and digital circuits. The United States Air Force (USAF) is the aerial warfare branch of the United States armed forces and one of the seven uniformed services. ... The University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder, UCB officially[2]; Colorado and CU colloquially) is the flagship university of the University of Colorado System in Boulder, Colorado. ... Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. ... The City of Boulder ( , Mountain Time Zone) is a home rule municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ...

He successfully completed all of his studies at the University of Colorado and graduated in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He continued to work for Ball Brothers for another year and left for Mountain View, California in 1963 to work for Fairchild Semiconductor. Electrical Engineers design power systems… … and complex electronic circuits. ... Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

He died in February 1991 from a heart attack while jogging near his home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), more commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease state that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ... Puerto Vallarta is a Mexican resort city situated on the Pacific Oceans Bahía de Banderas. ...

References

• Robert Widlar (page at National Semiconductor)
• New York Times obituary