Clarence Lester Hogan (February 8, 1920 – August 12, 2008) was an American

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...

and a pioneer in

microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than other radio waves but longer than infrared waves. Its wavelength ranges from about one meter to one millimeter, corresponding to frequency, frequencies between 300&n ...

and

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

technology. He grew up as a brother to three sisters in

Great Falls, Montana Great Falls is the List of cities and towns in Montana, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Cascade County, Montana, Cascade County. The population was 60,442 according to the 2020 United States census, 2 ...

, where his father worked for the Great Northern Railway. After graduating from

Montana State University Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It enrolls more students than any other college or university in the state. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's d ...

with a degree in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...

he joined the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

in 1942. He did some work on

acoustic torpedo An acoustic torpedo is a torpedo that aims itself by listening for characteristic sounds of its target or by searching for it using sonar ( acoustic homing). Acoustic torpedoes are usually designed for medium-range use, and often fired from a ...

es in

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

, and when being approached by

Bell Laboratories Nokia Bell Labs, commonly referred to as ''Bell Labs'', is an American industrial research and development company owned by Finnish technology company Nokia. With headquarters located in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the company operates several lab ...

, subsequently went to the Pacific theatre to train submarine crews in the use of that technology. After the war he did post-graduate studies at

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

and obtained a Ph.D. in physics. He then joined Bell Labs in 1950. A couple of months later he invented the Microwave

Gyrator A gyrator is a passivity (engineering), passive, Linear circuit, linear, lossless, two-port network, two-port electrical lumped-element model, network element proposed in 1948 by Bernard D. H. Tellegen as a hypothetical fifth linear element after t ...

(a device which can simulate inductance by substituting an ''RC'' circuit, thus getting rid of awkward coil assemblies). He worked under Bill Shockley, inventor of the

transistor A transistor is a semiconductor device used to Electronic amplifier, amplify or electronic switch, switch electrical signals and electric power, power. It is one of the basic building blocks of modern electronics. It is composed of semicondu ...

and

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

laureate. From 1953 through 1958 he was a professor at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, when he was asked by Dan Noble to join Motorola Semiconductor in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

, as vice president and general manager of the semiconductor operation. In 1968 he moved to Fairchild Camera & Instrument as chairman and CEO, taking eight senior executives (nicknamed ''Hogan's Heroes'') with him. This move caused Motorola to sue Fairchild (unsuccessfully) for theft of trade secrets. In 1975 he received IEEE's "Frederik Philips Award". In 1978 he was honoured with the "

AeA The AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association) was a nationwide non-profit trade association that represented all segments of the technology industry. It lobbied governments at the state, federal, and international levels; provided acces ...

Medal of Achievement". In 1993 he received the " MTT-S Microwave Pioneer Award". In 1996, a chair at the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

was named in his honor, currently held by

Shafi Goldwasser Shafrira Goldwasser (; born 1959) is an Israeli-American computer scientist. A winner of the Turing Award in 2012, she is the RSA Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; a professor o ...

. On October 20, 1999, he was inducted as "Eminent Member" of

Eta Kappa Nu Eta Kappa Nu () or IEEE-HKN is the international honor society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). Joining HKN is by invitation only. Membership is a lifelong designation for individuals who have distinguished them ...

, "the society’s highest membership classification, to be conferred upon those select few whose technical attainments and contributions to society through leadership in the field of electrical and computer engineering have resulted in significant benefits to humankind". C. Lester Hogan died at the age of 88 due to complications of Alzheimer's disease at his home in

Atherton, California Atherton ( ) is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,823 as of July 2023 estimates. The town's zoning regulations permit only one single-family home per acre in new subdivisions, though smal ...

References

External links

Stanford University
(

Silicon Genesis Project The Silicon Genesis Project is an on-going oral history project on the history of Silicon Valley and the semiconductor industry, conducted by volunteers and housed at the Stanford University Library. History The Silicon Genesis project was s ...

) (Interview with Les Hogan – 1995)
Stanford University
(Silicon Genesis Project) (Interview with Les Hogan – 1995)

(Silicon Genesis Project) ("An Oral History of Semiconductor Technology")
Electronic Engineering Times
("The Hogan bombshell" – October 30, 1997)

("Motorola vs Fairchild case files")
AeA
(Gala: "60th anniversary of the founding of AeA" – October 16, 2003)

("ΗΚΝ Eminent Members List") * Biography - Clarence Lester Hogan, Microwave Theory and Techniques, IEEE Transactions, Jan 195
Biography - Clarence Lester Hogan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hogan, Lester 1920 births 2008 deaths People from Great Falls, Montana Montana State University alumni Lehigh University alumni Harvard University faculty 20th-century American physicists Deaths from dementia in California Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in California 20th-century American inventors