Residence United States Spouse(s) Pia Camenzind Role Engineer | Nationality Switzerland Name Hans Camenzind | |
Full Name Hans R. Camenzind Alma mater Northeastern UniversityUniversity of Santa Clara Occupation Electrical Engineer, Inventor Books Designing Analog Chips Education Northeastern University, Santa Clara University | ||
Hans camenzind on nikola tesla
Hans R. Camenzind (1 January 1934 – 8 August 2012) was a Swiss electronics engineer, famous for designing the 555 timer IC in 1971 under contract to Signetics. He was the inventor on 20 US patents. Camenzind also wrote three books and numerous technical articles, and lectured at the University of Santa Clara.
Contents
- Hans camenzind on nikola tesla
- Hans camenzind on the invention of the microchip
- Background and education
- Career
- Books
- References
Hans camenzind on the invention of the microchip
Background and education
Camenzind was born and raised in Zürich, Switzerland, where he went to college. In 1960 he moved to the United States, first receiving an MSEE from Northeastern University and then an MBA from the University of Santa Clara.
Career
After six years doing research in the laboratories of PR Mallory in the Boston area, Camenzind moved to the West Coast to join Signetics, later acquired by Philips Semiconductors, and now spun off as NXP Semiconductors. But two years later Signetics lost its way and Camanzind took a leave of absence and worked from home. He then started Interdesign, a semiconductor design company, which he headed for seven years before selling out to Ferranti. Following the sale of Interdesign, Camenzind became an independent analog IC design consultant.
During his career Camenzind designed the first integrated class D amplifier, introduced the IC phase-locked loop, invented the semicustom IC, and created the legendary 555 timer. By 2006, he had designed 140 standard and custom ICs.
Books
Camenzind wrote three books and numerous technical articles. His last book, Much Ado About Almost Nothing, published in February 2007, is a general audience book about the history of electronics. Other books include, Designing Analog Chips and, under the pen name John Penter, he also wrote, Circumstantial Evidence, a book about religion.
