T. J. Rodgers
Encyclopedia
Thurman John Rodgers, better known as T.J. Rodgers, is the founder and chief executive officer
of Cypress Semiconductor
. He is known for his public relations acumen, brash personality, and strong advocacy of laissez-faire
capitalism
.
from Dartmouth College
in 1970, graduating as salutatorian
with majors in chemistry and physics. He received his master's degree
(1973) and Ph.D.
(1975) in electrical engineering
from Stanford University
. While pursuing his Ph.D. degree, Rodgers invented the VMOS
process technology, which he later licensed to American Microsystems, Inc. He founded Cypress Semiconductor in 1982. He was awarded an honorary doctorate
from the Universidad Francisco Marroquín
in Guatemala City
.
for The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, sent him a form letter encouraging him to hire women and minorities on the Cypress board. He replied with a long letter defending a pure meritocracy
in terms of hiring practices.
. He is a prominent supporter of several charities, including Second Harvest Food Bank
, and serves as an alumni trustee on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees.
1996:
1997
2000:
2001:
2002:
2005 :
2006:
2009:
US3878552 - Bipolar Integrated Circuit and Method.
US3924265 - Low capacitance V groove MOS NOR gate and method of manufacture
1976
US3975221 - Low capacitance V groove MOS NOR gate and method of manufacture
1980
US4222063 - VMOS Floating gate memory with breakdown voltage lowering region
US4222062 - VMOS Floating gate memory device
1988
US5835401- DRAM with hidden refresh
US4764248 - Rapid thermal nitridized oxide locos process
1999
US5977638 - Edge metal for interconnect layers.
2000
US6131140 - Integrated cache memory with system control logic and adaptation of RAM bus to a cache pinout
2001
US6185126B1 - Self-initializing RAM-based programmable device.
2004
US6835616 - Method of forming a floating metal structure in an integrated circuit
US6730545 - Method of performing back-end manufacturing of an integrated circuit device
2005
US6903002 - Low-k dielectric layer with air gaps.
US6847218 - Probe card with an adapter layer for testing integrated circuits.
2006
US7045387 - Method of performing back-end manufacturing of an integrated circuit.
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Cypress Semiconductor
Cypress Semiconductor
Cypress Semiconductor Corporation is a Silicon Valley-based semiconductor design and manufacturing company founded by T. J. Rodgers and others from Advanced Micro Devices. It was formed in 1982 with backing by Sevin Rosen and went public in 1986. The company initially focused on the design and...
. He is known for his public relations acumen, brash personality, and strong advocacy of laissez-faire
Laissez-faire
In economics, laissez-faire describes an environment in which transactions between private parties are free from state intervention, including restrictive regulations, taxes, tariffs and enforced monopolies....
capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
.
Early life
Rodgers received his bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
in 1970, graduating as salutatorian
Salutatorian
Salutatorian is an academic title given, in the United States and Canada, to the second highest graduate of the entire graduating class of a specific discipline. Only the valedictorian is ranked higher. This honor is traditionally based on grade point average and number of credits taken, but...
with majors in chemistry and physics. He received his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(1973) and Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
(1975) in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. While pursuing his Ph.D. degree, Rodgers invented the VMOS
VMOS
VMOS is an acronym for Vertical Metal Oxide Semiconductor . Vmos is also used to describe the V-groove shape vertically cut into the substrate material metal oxide semiconductor transistor....
process technology, which he later licensed to American Microsystems, Inc. He founded Cypress Semiconductor in 1982. He was awarded an honorary doctorate
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the Universidad Francisco Marroquín
Universidad Francisco Marroquín
Universidad Francisco Marroquín is a private, secular, university in Guatemala City, Guatemala. According to the school's website, "the mission of Universidad Francisco Marroquín is to teach and disseminate the ethical, legal and economic principles of a sociey of free and responsible persons."...
in Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Guatemala City , is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Guatemala and Central America...
.
Rodgers on quotas
Rodgers made headlines in 1996 when Sister Doris Gormley, the Director of Corporate Social ResponsibilitySocial responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
for The Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, sent him a form letter encouraging him to hire women and minorities on the Cypress board. He replied with a long letter defending a pure meritocracy
Meritocracy
Meritocracy, in the first, most administrative sense, is a system of government or other administration wherein appointments and responsibilities are objectively assigned to individuals based upon their "merits", namely intelligence, credentials, and education, determined through evaluations or...
in terms of hiring practices.
Personal life
Rodgers is an avid jogger and wine enthusiastOenology
Oenology,[p] œnology , or enology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which is a subfield called viticulture. “Viticulture & oenology” is a common designation for training programmes and research centres that include both the...
. He is a prominent supporter of several charities, including Second Harvest Food Bank
America's Second Harvest
Feeding America is a United States-based non-profit organization. It consists of a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks and food rescue organizations that serve virtually every county in the United States as well as Puerto Rico. It is the nation's leading hunger-relief charity,...
, and serves as an alumni trustee on the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees.
Awards and recognition
1986:- Entrepreneur of the Year by City of Santa Clara, California
1996:
- "CEO of the year" - Financial World Magazine
1997
- Outstanding Individual Entrepreneurship Award from the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
2000:
- Award from the Healing Institute for his support of the CarverGeorge Washington CarverGeorge Washington Carver , was an American scientist, botanist, educator, and inventor. The exact day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born into slavery in Missouri in January 1864....
Scholars Program
2001:
- Cited as one of the "100 People Who Changed Our World." by Upside Magazine
- Silicon Valley Capitalism Award for "exemplifying the virtues of capitalism and defending capitalism with ethical principles in the media."
- Angel Award by the International Angel Investors organization for his venture-capital activities supporting the semiconductor industry
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the Smith Center for Private Enterprise Studies at California State University at Hayward
2002:
- "Top 100 Chief Executives" by Chief Executive magazine.
2005 :
- Inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Council Hall of Fame.
2006:
- Honored with a Fellow Award from the International Engineering Consortium.
2009:
- Spirit of Ireland Award
Patents
1975US3878552 - Bipolar Integrated Circuit and Method.
US3924265 - Low capacitance V groove MOS NOR gate and method of manufacture
1976
US3975221 - Low capacitance V groove MOS NOR gate and method of manufacture
1980
US4222063 - VMOS Floating gate memory with breakdown voltage lowering region
US4222062 - VMOS Floating gate memory device
1988
US5835401- DRAM with hidden refresh
US4764248 - Rapid thermal nitridized oxide locos process
1999
US5977638 - Edge metal for interconnect layers.
2000
US6131140 - Integrated cache memory with system control logic and adaptation of RAM bus to a cache pinout
2001
US6185126B1 - Self-initializing RAM-based programmable device.
2004
US6835616 - Method of forming a floating metal structure in an integrated circuit
US6730545 - Method of performing back-end manufacturing of an integrated circuit device
2005
US6903002 - Low-k dielectric layer with air gaps.
US6847218 - Probe card with an adapter layer for testing integrated circuits.
2006
US7045387 - Method of performing back-end manufacturing of an integrated circuit.
External links
- Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business A debate in Reason Magazine between John MackeyJohn Mackey (businessman)John Mackey is an American businessman. He is the CEO of Whole Foods Market which he had co-founded in 1980. Named the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003, Mackey is a strong supporter of free market economics...
, Milton FriedmanMilton FriedmanMilton Friedman was an American economist, statistician, academic, and author who taught at the University of Chicago for more than three decades...
, and T.J. Rodgers - Text of Rodger's letter to Sister Gormley.
- Profile from Dartmouth College upon his election to the Dartmouth College Board of Trustees
- T.J. Rodgers - Libertarian from the Advocates for Self-Government website
- Cypress' T.J. Rodgers on solar, politics, and capitalism, part 1 part 2 from News.com
- Mr. Rodgers Goes to Dartmouth A cautionary tale about a businessman who ventured back into the Ivory Tower. Interview in the Wall Street Journal 2008-02-15