Mohamed M. Atalla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mohamed Martin Atalla
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| محمد عطاالله | |
Mohamed Atalla as Director of Semiconductor Research at HP Associates in 1963
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| Born | August 4, 1924 |
| Died | December 30, 2009 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Egyptian American |
| Other names | M. M. Atalla "Martin" M. Atalla "John" M. Atalla |
| Education | Cairo University (BSc) Purdue University (MSc, PhD) |
| Known for | MOSFET (MOS transistor) Surface passivation Thermal oxidation PMOS and NMOS MOS integrated circuit Hardware security module |
| Children | Bill Atalla |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Mechanical engineering Electrical engineering Electronic engineering Security engineering |
| Institutions | Bell Labs Hewlett-Packard Fairchild Semiconductor Atalla Corporation |
| Awards | National Inventors Hall of Fame Stuart Ballantine Medal Distinguished Alumnus IEEE Milestones IT Honor Roll |
Mohamed M. Atalla (Arabic: محمد عطاالله; born August 4, 1924 – died December 30, 2009) was an amazing Egyptian-American engineer and inventor. He helped create many parts of modern electronics. He is most famous for inventing the MOSFET (which stands for metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor) in 1959. He did this with his friend Dawon Kahng.
Atalla also developed something called surface passivation. This process, along with the MOSFET, changed the electronics industry forever. Later, he started a company called Atalla Corporation in 1972, which focused on data security. Today, it's known as Utimaco Atalla. He received important awards like the Stuart Ballantine Medal and was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Mohamed Atalla was born in Port Said, Egypt. He studied at Cairo University in Egypt and then at Purdue University in the United States. After finishing school, he joined Bell Labs in 1949. He sometimes used the names "John" or "Martin" M. Atalla for his work.
His work on the MOSFET was not fully recognized at Bell Labs at first. So, he left and joined Hewlett-Packard (HP) in 1962. There, he started HP's Semiconductor Lab. Later, he helped create HP Labs in 1966. He then moved to Fairchild Semiconductor in 1969. He researched things like Schottky diodes and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
After working in the semiconductor industry, he became an entrepreneur in cryptography and data security. In 1972, he started Atalla Corporation. He created a special security system for Personal Identification Numbers (PINs). In 1973, he released the first hardware security module, called the "Atalla Box." This box encrypted PIN and ATM messages. It helped secure most of the world's ATM transactions. He later founded TriStrata Security in the 1990s, which focused on Internet security. He passed away in Atherton, California, on December 30, 2009.
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Early Life and Education
Mohamed Mohamed Atalla was born in Port Said, which was part of the Kingdom of Egypt at the time. He went to Cairo University in Egypt and earned his first degree there.
Later, he moved to the United States to study mechanical engineering at Purdue University. He earned his master's degree in 1947 and his PhD in 1949.
Working at Bell Labs
After finishing his studies at Purdue University, Atalla started working at Bell Telephone Laboratories (BTL) in 1949. He first worked on telephone networks. When transistors became important, Atalla moved to a lab in New Jersey. There, he started leading a small team that researched transistors in 1956.
Even though he studied mechanical engineering, he quickly learned about physical chemistry and semiconductor physics. He became very skilled in these areas. He researched how the surface of silicon semiconductors behaved. He also looked at using silica to protect silicon devices.
Between 1956 and 1960, Atalla and his team made big progress in semiconductor technology. Their work was very important for silicon semiconductor technology.
Making Surfaces Stable
One of Atalla's main goals was to fix a problem with silicon surfaces. At the time, the flow of electricity in materials like silicon was limited. This was because electrons got stuck on the surface. This made it hard for electricity to reliably go into the silicon.
Atalla found a solution called surface passivation. This process makes a semiconductor surface stable. It stops the surface from changing when it touches air or other materials. Atalla discovered that a layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) could greatly reduce these problems. This layer helped keep the electrical properties of silicon stable.
He developed a new way to make semiconductor devices. This involved covering a silicon wafer with an insulating layer of silicon oxide. This allowed electricity to reliably go into the silicon below. His method was a huge step that made integrated circuits possible. It became very important for the semiconductor industry.
Inventing the MOSFET
Building on his work with surface passivation, Atalla developed the metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) process. He then suggested building a field effect transistor using metal-oxide-silicon. This idea had been around since the 1920s but was not practical yet.
Atalla asked Dawon Kahng, a scientist who had just joined his team, to help him. This led to their invention of the MOSFET in November 1959. Atalla and Kahng showed off the first MOSFET in early 1960. The MOSFET could be made very small and used less power than older transistors. This made it possible to build high-density integrated circuit (IC) chips.
Nanolayer Transistors
In 1960, Atalla and Kahng created the first MOSFET with a very thin layer. In 1962, they made a tiny nanolayer transistor. This device had a super thin metal layer between two semiconductor layers. This design allowed for very fast operation. Atalla left Bell Labs in 1962.
Schottky Diodes
Atalla and Kahng also did important work on Schottky diodes between 1960 and 1961. The Schottky diode had been thought about for years, but Atalla and Kahng were the first to make it work in real life. They published their findings in 1962. Schottky diodes are now used in many electronic devices.
Working at Hewlett-Packard
In 1962, Atalla joined Hewlett-Packard (HP). He helped start HP Associates, which gave HP important skills in solid-state technology. He became the Director of Semiconductor Research at HP Associates. He was also the first manager of HP's Semiconductor Lab.
At HP, he continued his research on Schottky diodes. He also started a program to study materials like gallium arsenide (GaAs). These materials became key for HP's Microwave Division. They helped HP create advanced devices for military communications.
Atalla also helped create HP Labs in 1966. He led its solid-state division.
Working at Fairchild Semiconductor
In 1969, Atalla left HP and joined Fairchild Semiconductor. He was a vice president and general manager of their Microwave & Optoelectronics division. He continued his work on light-emitting diodes (LEDs). He suggested that LEDs could be used for indicator lights. He left Fairchild in 1972.
Atalla Corporation
In 1972, Mohamed Atalla left the semiconductor industry. He started a new career as an entrepreneur focusing on data security and cryptography. He founded Atalla Technovation, which later became Atalla Corporation. This company helped banks and financial groups with their security problems.
Hardware Security Modules
Atalla invented the first hardware security module (HSM), known as the "Atalla Box." This security system protects most of the transactions from ATMs today. At the same time, Atalla helped develop the personal identification number (PIN) system. This system became the standard for identification in banking.
His "Atalla Box" was released in 1973 as the Identikey. It was a system that allowed banks to use plastic cards and PINs instead of old passbook programs. The Identikey system had a card reader, PIN pads for customers, and a smart controller. It let customers type in a secret code that was then changed by the device. This made transactions more secure.
A key part of the Atalla Box was the "key block." This helps securely exchange secret keys or PINs between banks. This secure exchange is now a standard in the banking industry.
Because of Atalla's work, he is often called the "Father of the PIN" and a father of information security technology. By 1998, the Atalla Box protected over 90% of all ATM networks. As of 2014, Atalla products still secure most of the world's ATM transactions.
Online Security
In 1972, Atalla also filed a patent for a remote PIN verification system. This system used encryption to keep phone calls secure when entering personal ID information. This information would be sent as encrypted data over phone lines for verification. This was an early step towards telephone banking, Internet security, and e-commerce.
In 1976, Atalla announced an upgrade to his Identikey system called the Interchange Identikey. This new system could handle online transactions and network security. It was designed to help banks move their transactions online. In 1979, Atalla introduced the first network security processor (NSP).
In 1987, Atalla Corporation joined with Tandem Computers. Atalla retired in 1990. As of 2013, Atalla products protect 250 million card transactions every day.
TriStrata Security
After retiring, some bank executives asked Atalla to develop security systems for the Internet. They were worried that electronic commerce would not be safe without new computer and network security. In 1993, Atalla began working on a new Internet security technology. This technology would let companies scramble and send secure computer files, e-mail, and digital videos over the internet.
Because of this work, he founded TriStrata Security in 1996. Most security systems at the time built walls around a company's entire computer network. TriStrata took a different approach. Its system put a secure, encrypted "envelope" around individual pieces of information. Only people with an electronic permit could open and read this information. This allowed companies to control exactly who could access their data.
Later Years and Death
Atalla was the chairman of A4 System in 2003. He lived in Atherton, California. Mohamed Atalla passed away on December 30, 2009, in Atherton.
Awards and Honors
Atalla received the Stuart Ballantine Medal in 1975. This award recognized his important work in silicon semiconductor technology and his invention of the MOSFET. In 2003, he received a special doctorate from Purdue University.
In 2009, he was added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. This honored his important contributions to semiconductor technology and data security. He was called one of the "Sultans of Silicon."
In 2014, the invention of the MOSFET in 1959 was added to the list of IEEE milestones in electronics. In 2015, Atalla was recognized by the IT History Society for his important contributions to information technology.
