Bob Widlar

Bob Widlar
Bob Widlar with the artwork of the LM10, 1977.
Born	(1937-11-30)November 30, 1937 Cleveland, U.S.
Died	February 27, 1991(1991-02-27) (aged 53) Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Nationality	American
Other names	Robert John Wildar
Occupation	Electronics engineer
Known for	Integrated circuits pioneer

Robert John (Bob) Widlar (pronounced wide-lar; November 30, 1937 – February 27, 1991) was an American electronics engineer and a designer of linear integrated circuits (ICs).

Widlar never talked about his early years and personal life. He was born in Cleveland to parents of Czech, Irish and German descent. His mother, Mary Vithous, was born in Cleveland to Czech immigrants Frank (Frantisek) Vithous and Marie Zakova. His father, Walter J. Widlar, came from prominent German and Irish American families whose ancestors settled in Cleveland in the middle of the 19th century. A self-taught radio engineer, Walter Widlar worked for the WGAR (1220 AM) radio station and designed pioneering ultra high frequency transmitters. Robert was born November 30, 1937. The world of electronics surrounded him since birth: one of his brothers became the first baby monitored by wireless radio. Guided by his father, Bob developed a strong interest in electronics in early childhood.

Widlar graduated from Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and enrolled at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In February 1958 Widlar joined the United States Air Force. He instructed servicemen in electronic equipment and devices and authored his first book, Introduction to Semiconductor Devices (1960), a textbook that demonstrated his ability to simplify complex problems. His liberal mind was a poor match for the military environment, and in 1961 Widlar left the service. He joined the Ball Brothers Research Corporation in Boulder to develop analog and digital equipment for NASA. He simultaneously continued studies at the University of Colorado and graduated with high grades in the summer of 1963.

Widlar invented the basic building blocks of linear ICs including the Widlar current source, the Widlar bandgap voltage reference and the Widlar output stage. From 1964 to 1970, Widlar, together with David Talbert, created the first mass-produced operational amplifier ICs (μA702, μA709), the first integrated voltage regulator ICs (µA723 in Fairchild launched in 1967, later LM100 for National), the first operational amplifiers employing single capacitor frequency compensation (LM101), an improved LM101 with FET internal current control (LM101A), and super-beta transistors (LM108). Each of Widlar's circuits had "at least one feature which was far ahead of the crowd" and became a "product champion" in its class. They made his employers, Fairchild Semiconductor and National Semiconductor, the leaders in linear integrated circuits.