|
|
Historic Note
|
|
Herb
Meisel worked at semiconductor engineering for RCA for 36 years from 1953
to 1989. During those last two years, RCA was acquired by GE and then the
Semiconductor Operation was sold to Harris. Herb's early transistor work
was on: developing processes for germanium transistors; developing single ,
double, and triple diffused silicon power devices; and designing and
developing power hybrid modules. He worked as an engineer, senior engineer
and engineering group leader. In 1955, Frank Tobin and he each received one
of the Tube Division's Golden Achievement awards for developing the
miniature 2N105 hearing aid transistor. In 1957, he won the David Sarnoff
Fellowship for a year of graduate study in Physics at Stevens Institute. He
received the MS in Physics in 1959, completing the requirements on a part
time basis. In 1965, his team received RCA Electronics Components awards
for developing and bringing into production the 2N3054 and 2N3055 family of
rugged, low cost silicon power transistors. Other team members were Jerry
Wright, Bill Planey, and Hans Menzel. Herb is co-inventor on 5 U.S.
Patents.
______________
|
|
|
Oral History – Herb Meisel
|
|
This
History was provided by Mr. Meisel
in
February, 2001.
I graduated
from Rensselaer in 1950 with a B.M.E. After a brief stint as a test
engineer at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, with the Korean Conflict flaring up,
in 1951 I enlisted in the USAF. I worked as a mechanic on jet aircraft,
attended and then taught a course on Rocket Propulsion, received a direct
commission as a 2nd Lt and attended Electronics Officers Course
at Keesler AFB. With the Korean truce imminent, Sec. of Defense Wilson cut
the budget and I was honorably discharged in 1953. My former college
roommate, Joel Ollendorf, was working at RCA on transistors and recommended
that I apply. I had a good image of RCA - we had used the RCA Tube Manual
as one of our textbooks in the Air Force Electronics course. I applied and
was hired in Aug. 1953 as a development engineer in the Semiconductor
Development Shop. Art Chettle was the manager; he was one of the best! We
were almost all young engineers and we called him "Pops" but not
to his face. In these early days, the Design engineers and the Development
Shop engineers worked together in a hands-on mode on the various development
projects. Many "brainstorming sessions" were held to generate
approaches to these exciting new problems.
My first major assignment
was on solder sealing germanium transistors. The surface oxide of
germanium was very moisture sensitive and in the "standard"
araldite epoxy packaging, the device junctions would develop unacceptably
high leakage current levels and unstable gain, especially during the
summer.
Go To Meisel Oral History, Page 2
|
|