Wilfred Corrigan
Encyclopedia
Wilfred J. Corrigan is a British
engineer
and entrepreneur
, known for founding and running LSI Logic Corp. He was the chairman and chief executive of LSI for over two decades until 2005, during the earlier part of which he made made vital contributions to the company. He was the founder and served twice as chairmen of the Semiconductor Industry Association
(SIA). Wilf is a veteran of Fairchild Semiconductor
.
He was born in Liverpool
, England
as the son of a dock worker, graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the Imperial College of Science before starting his career at Motorola Semiconductor. He later joined Fairchild Semiconductor, rising through the ranks to eventually become president and CEO for five years. He left Fairchild in 1979 after selling the then ailing company to Schlumberger
, an oilfield services firm.
As the founder of LSI Logic, Corrigan pioneered modern-day gate array
, standard-cell application-specific integrated circuit
(ASIC), system-on-a-chip
and Platform ASIC businesses. Before founding LSI Logic, Corrigan spearheaded the growth of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation as chairman, president and chief executive officer
and earlier as its vice president and general manager of its Semiconductor Division. Corrigan is also an inventor and holds two U.S. patent
s related to field-effective device manufacturing and gas etching.
He is a recipient of the SIA's Robert N. Noyce Award, Semico Research's Bellwether Award and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's Lifetime Achievement Award. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
, Imperial College London
and London's City and Guild Institute and a driving force in the establishment of the World Semiconductor Council.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
, known for founding and running LSI Logic Corp. He was the chairman and chief executive of LSI for over two decades until 2005, during the earlier part of which he made made vital contributions to the company. He was the founder and served twice as chairmen of the Semiconductor Industry Association
Semiconductor Industry Association
The Semiconductor Industry Association is a trade association founded in 1977 that represents the United States semiconductor industry. It is located in San Jose, California....
(SIA). Wilf is a veteran of Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. is an American semiconductor company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1957, it was a pioneer in transistor and integrated circuit manufacturing...
.
He was born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
as the son of a dock worker, graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the Imperial College of Science before starting his career at Motorola Semiconductor. He later joined Fairchild Semiconductor, rising through the ranks to eventually become president and CEO for five years. He left Fairchild in 1979 after selling the then ailing company to Schlumberger
Schlumberger
Schlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
, an oilfield services firm.
As the founder of LSI Logic, Corrigan pioneered modern-day gate array
Gate array
A gate array or uncommitted logic array is an approach to the design and manufacture of application-specific integrated circuits...
, standard-cell application-specific integrated circuit
Application-specific integrated circuit
An application-specific integrated circuit is an integrated circuit customized for a particular use, rather than intended for general-purpose use. For example, a chip designed solely to run a cell phone is an ASIC...
(ASIC), system-on-a-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
and Platform ASIC businesses. Before founding LSI Logic, Corrigan spearheaded the growth of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation as chairman, president and chief executive officer
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...
and earlier as its vice president and general manager of its Semiconductor Division. Corrigan is also an inventor and holds two U.S. patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s related to field-effective device manufacturing and gas etching.
He is a recipient of the SIA's Robert N. Noyce Award, Semico Research's Bellwether Award and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's Lifetime Achievement Award. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Royal Academy of Engineering
-Overview: is the UK’s national academy of engineering. The Academy brings together the most successful and talented engineers from across the engineering sectors for a shared purpose: to advance and promote excellence in engineering....
, Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
and London's City and Guild Institute and a driving force in the establishment of the World Semiconductor Council.
External links
- Bio and photo, IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal Recipient, 2005