Barrie Gilbert
Encyclopedia
Barrie Gilbert was born in 1937 in Bournemouth
, England. He is well-known for his invention of numerous analog circuit concepts, holding over 100 patents worldwide, and for the discovery of the Translinear Principle
and a class of related topologies loosely referred to as the Gilbert cell
, one of which is a mixer - a key frequency translation device - used in every modern wireless communication device. During the 1950s he pursued an interest in solid-state devices while at Mullard
, working on the development of early transistors, and later, the first-generation planar ICs. After some pioneering development of sampling oscillography he emigrated to the United States in 1964 to pursue this interest at Tektronix
, Beaverton, Oregon
, where he developed the first electronic knob-readout system and other advances in instrumentation. He returned to England in 1970, where he was Group Leader at Plessey Research Laboratories, managing a team developing a holographic memory, OCR systems and integrated circuits (ICs) for communications applications. From 1972-1977 he consulted for Analog Devices
Inc., Beaverton, OR, designing several ICs embodying novel nonlinear concepts. He returned to the USA and Tektronix in 1977 to pursue HF ICs and process development.
In 1979 Analog Devices allowed Gilbert to create the first remote design center for the Company, in Oregon, to persuade him to rejoin the company as their first Fellow. This has developed into the Northwest Labs, and has grown into a major center of excellence.
circuits”. He has five times received the ISSCC Outstanding Paper Award. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Oregon State University. In 2009, Gilbert was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering
.
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, England. He is well-known for his invention of numerous analog circuit concepts, holding over 100 patents worldwide, and for the discovery of the Translinear Principle
Translinear circuit
A translinear circuit is a circuit that carries out its function using the translinear principle. These are current-mode circuits that can be made using transistors that obey an exponential current-voltage characteristic—this includes BJTs and CMOS transistors in weak inversion.The word translinear...
and a class of related topologies loosely referred to as the Gilbert cell
Gilbert cell
In electronics, the Gilbert cell is a transistor circuit used as an analog multiplier and frequency mixer, first described by Barrie Gilbert in 1968. The advantage of this circuit is the output current is an accurate multiplication of the base currents of both inputs...
, one of which is a mixer - a key frequency translation device - used in every modern wireless communication device. During the 1950s he pursued an interest in solid-state devices while at Mullard
Mullard
Mullard Limited was a British manufacturer of electronic components. The Mullard Radio Valve Co. Ltd. of Southfields, London, was founded in 1920 by Captain Stanley R. Mullard, who had previously designed valves for the Admiralty before becoming managing director of the Z Electric Lamp Co. The...
, working on the development of early transistors, and later, the first-generation planar ICs. After some pioneering development of sampling oscillography he emigrated to the United States in 1964 to pursue this interest at Tektronix
Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc. is an American company best known for its test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and video and mobile test protocol equipment. In November 2007, Tektronix became a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation....
, Beaverton, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where he developed the first electronic knob-readout system and other advances in instrumentation. He returned to England in 1970, where he was Group Leader at Plessey Research Laboratories, managing a team developing a holographic memory, OCR systems and integrated circuits (ICs) for communications applications. From 1972-1977 he consulted for Analog Devices
Analog Devices
Analog Devices, Inc. , known as ADI, is an American multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts...
Inc., Beaverton, OR, designing several ICs embodying novel nonlinear concepts. He returned to the USA and Tektronix in 1977 to pursue HF ICs and process development.
In 1979 Analog Devices allowed Gilbert to create the first remote design center for the Company, in Oregon, to persuade him to rejoin the company as their first Fellow. This has developed into the Northwest Labs, and has grown into a major center of excellence.
Awards and honors
In 1984 Barrie Gilbert became a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). For pioneering work on merged logic, he received the IEEE “Outstanding Achievement Award” (1970) and later the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Council “Outstanding Development Award” (1986). He was Oregon Researcher of the Year in 1990 and he received the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Award (1992) “For contributions to non-linear analog signal processingSignal processing
Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
circuits”. He has five times received the ISSCC Outstanding Paper Award. He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Oregon State University. In 2009, Gilbert was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
.