Barrie Gilbert facts for kids

Barrie Gilbert (born June 5, 1937 – died January 30, 2020) was a brilliant inventor from England and America. He was famous for creating many new ideas for electronic circuits. He held over 100 patents, which are like official papers that say he invented something. He also discovered something called the Translinear Principle. One of his most famous inventions is the Gilbert cell. This special circuit is used in almost every modern wireless device, like your cell phone or Wi-Fi, to help them send and receive signals.

Gilbert was born in Bournemouth, England. In the 1950s, he became very interested in solid-state devices. These are electronic parts that use solid materials to control electricity. He worked at a company called Mullard. There, he helped create early transistors and the first simple computer chips (called ICs).

In 1964, Gilbert moved to the United States. He joined Tektronix in Beaverton, Oregon. At Tektronix, he helped create new tools for measuring electronic signals. He even developed the first electronic system that could read out knob settings.

He returned to England in 1970 and became a leader at Plessey Research Laboratories. His team worked on systems that could read text (like OCR systems) and more computer chips for communication devices. From 1972 to 1977, he worked as a consultant for Analog Devices. He designed many new computer chips for them.

In 1977, Gilbert moved back to the USA and rejoined Tektronix. He continued to work on advanced computer chips. In 1979, Analog Devices asked him to come back. They even let him start their first remote design center in Oregon. This center grew into what is now called Northwest Labs.

Barrie Gilbert passed away on January 30, 2020. Analog Devices announced his death on February 4, 2020.

Awards and Honors

Barrie Gilbert received many awards for his important work in electronics.

• In 1984, he became a Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). This is a very high honor for engineers.
• He received the IEEE "Outstanding Achievement Award" in 1970. This was for his new ideas on how to combine different electronic parts.
• In 1986, he received the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Council "Outstanding Development Award."
• He was named Oregon Researcher of the Year in 1990.
• In 1992, he received the IEEE Solid-State Circuits Award. This was for his contributions to circuits that handle analog signals in new ways.
• He won the ISSCC Outstanding Paper Award five times.
• Oregon State University gave him an Honorary Doctorate degree.
• In 2009, Gilbert was chosen to be a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering. This is one of the highest honors for engineers in the United States.