IEEE Awards Booklet - 2014 - 19

2014 IEEE TECHNICAL FIELD AWARDS

IEEE William E. Newell Power Electronics Award

IEEE Daniel E. Noble Award for Emerging Technologies

Sponsored by the IEEE Power Electronics Society

Sponsored by the Motorola Foundation

Frede Blaabjerg

Gabriel M. Rebeiz

For contributions to power electronics in
renewable energy and adjustable speed
drives

For pioneering contributions enabling
commercialization of RF MEMS technology and tunable micro- and millimeterwave systems

Frede Blaabjerg's innovations in applying power electronics for
the control and conversion of electric power have increased energy efficiency and provided more reliable connection of renewable
energy sources to the power grid. His power converters for wind
turbine systems have helped overcome scaling challenges. He also
developed module and string inverters for solar photovoltaics that
have found industry use. Prof. Blaabjerg's grid-interfacing techniques include synchronization, smart monitoring, and design and
control of filters for improving the quality of power being fed to
the grid. His innovations involving adjustable speed drives include
techniques for reducing noise in heating and cooling systems and
lowering the cost of industrial drives by reducing the sensors
needed while still maintaining failure protection.
An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Blaabjerg is a professor with the Department of Energy Technology at Aalborg University, Denmark.

Gabriel M. Rebeiz's vision in guiding microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) technology to market for radio-frequency (RF)
applications has resulted in reliable and efficient components
essential to smartphone operation and defense communications.
Dr. Rebeiz was one of the first to introduce MEMS technology to
the RF/microwave field, where moving submillimeter-sized components provide RF functionality, resulting in tunable filters and
antennas and wideband switches for wireless applications. His contributions have allowed high-performance RF components that
provide higher data rates, lower power consumption, and higher
power handling than traditional solid-state devices. Recognizing
reliability issues that threatened commercialization of RF MEMS
technology, Dr. Rebeiz provided solutions to stress, temperature,
dielectric charging, and packaging concerns.This work was instrumental in the continued advancement of the technology.
An IEEE Fellow, Dr. Rebeiz is a Distinguished Professor with
the University of California, San Diego.

IEEE Donald O. Pederson Award in Solid-State Circuits

IEEE Frederik Philips Award

Sponsored by the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Society

Sponsored by Philips Electronics NV

Robert G. Meyer

Henry T. Nicholas, III

For pioneering contributions to the
design and modeling of analog and
radio-frequency circuits

For exemplary leadership and entrepreneurial vision in the commercialization of
communications semiconductors that enable ubiquitous broadband connectivity

Robert G. Meyer revolutionized the use of on-chip inductors in
silicon radio-frequency (RF) integrated circuits (ICs) for communications. Prior to his work during the 1990s, on-chip inductors
were thought to be too bulky and inefficient for high-performance RF applications. Dr. Meyer took a new direction and demonstrated their potential. Today, on-chip inductors are an integral
part of cellular device technology with nearly all high-speed chips
using one to several dozen integrated inductors. His design for a
precision silicon IC power detector has also been used in large
volumes in the cell-phone industry. He also contributed the first
tunable, completely monolithic silicon oscillator in the gigahertz
frequency.
An IEEE Life Fellow, Dr. Meyer is Professor Emeritus and professor in the Graduate School with the Department of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

The creativity, vision, and technical expertise of Henry T. Nicholas,
III drove one of the most successful producers of communications
semiconductor technology to bring broadband connectivity to
the masses.Working out of out a spare room in his apartment with
a $5,000 investment, Dr. Nicholas cofounded Broadcom Corporation with Dr. Henry Samueli in 1991. Under Dr. Nicholas's
direction, Broadcom pioneered the broadband communications
semiconductor industry by being the first to introduce semiconductor solutions for broadband access over cable TV networks. He
created and drove an environment that thrived on and rewarded
invention, resulting in products such as Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11g
WiFi, and digital cable modems. Broadcom continues as a leader
of products that seamlessly provide multimedia connectivity in
home, office, and mobile environments.
An IEEE Member, Dr. Nicholas retired from Broadcom in
2002. He currently resides in Newport, Calif.

19 | 2014 IEEE AWARDS BOOKLET

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Awards Booklet - 2014