Albert Einstein, 1879-1955

Jean Hoerni, 1924-1997, silicon transistor pioneer. Born in Switzerland. Obtained physics doctorates at Cambridge University and the University of Geneva. Moved to the US in 1952 to work at the California Institute of Technology, where he met William Shockley, founder of Silicon Valley. After working for Shockley for about a year, he and seven colleagues left to create the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation. It was here that Hoerni invented the planar process, a means of fusing an insulating layer of silicon dioxide onto a chip before applying the conducting metal circuitry. This revolutionary discovery led to the creation of the silicon chip. Hoerni later left Fairchild and founded several other companies, including Intersil, which used the technology to pioneer digital watches. Hoerni was also a keen mountainer, and even partially scaled Mount Everest. He was moved by the plight of the Balti people of the Karakorams in northern Pakistan, and created a million dollar foundation to help provide health care and education for them.