- Kurt Lehovec
Kurt Lehovec is one of the pioneers of the
integrated circuit ,1959 . He innovated the concept ofp-n junction isolation used in every circuit element with a "guard ring": a p-n junction surrounding the planar periphery of that element. This patent was assigned to Sprague Electric. [ Kurt Lehovec, US patent|3029366 awarded on April 10, 1962, filed April 22, 1959.] [Robert Noyce credits Lehovec in his article – "Microelectronics", "Scientific American ", September 1977, Volume 23, Number 3, pp. 63–9.]Because Lehovec was under salary with Sprague, he was paid only one dollar for this invention.
Lehovec was born June 12, 1918 in Ledvice, in northern
Bohemia , of theCzech Republic . He was educated there and went to the US in 1947 under the auspices ofOperation Paperclip [ [http://kurtlehovec.com/professionalhistory.html Kurt Lehovec's Professional Career] ] which allowed scientists and engineers to emigrate.With Accardo and Jamgochian, he explained the firstlight-emitting diode s. [K. Lehovec, C. A. Accardo, AND E. Jamgochian, [http://www.infoage.org/tpr-08-01-1951p603-lehovec.html "Injected Light Emission of Silicon Carbide Crystals"] , "The Physical Review" 83, #3, 603-607 August 1, 1951]The important case of fast ionic conduction in solid states is one in a surface space-charge layer of ionic crystals. Such conduction was first predicted by K.Lehovec in the paper “Space-charge layer and distribution of lattice defects at the surface of ionic crystals” ( J. Chem. Phys. 1953. V.21. P.1123 -1128). As a space-charge layer has nanometer thickness, the effect is directly related to
nanoionics (nanoionics-I). The Lehovec’s effect had given a basis for a creation of multitude nanostructuredfast ion conductor s which used in modern portable lithium batteries and fuel cells.Lehovec is a Professor Emeritus at the
University of Southern California inLos Angeles, California and currently lives inSouthern California .After retirement from USC Lehovec has taken to writing poetry. [ [http://www.bookwire.com/bookwire/PDF/lehovec2.pdf Some of Lehovec's poetry] ]Notes
External links
[http://www.kittyfeet.com/kurt.htm Photo of Kurt Lehovec from 2002, and a short essay on his life and work]
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