Bob Widlar

Robert J. Widlar (November, 1937 – February 27, 1991) was a pioneer in the design of integrated circuits. He made his fame with Fairchild Semiconductor in the 1960s. Many of his designs were the first of their kind, or became industry standard parts. These include the μA702, which was the first IC opamp, the LM101 (the parent of and nearly identical to the ubiquitous 741), and the 723 voltage regulator.

He also invented circuit topologies, including the Widlar current source and bandgap reference, that are used in almost any practical analog IC.

He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, taking an interest in electronics at a young age. By the age of 15 he was repairing radio and television sets.

He entered the Air Force as a technical instructor in 1958. In February of the next year, he began to take classes at the University of Colorado's Extension Center. During this time, he was working for Ball Brothers Research Corporation in Boulder, Colorado designing linear and digital circuits.

He successfully completed all of his studies at the University of Colorado and graduated in 1962 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He continued to work for Ball Brothers for another year and left for Mountain View, California in 1963 to work for Fairchild Semiconductor.

He died in February 1991 from a heart attack while jogging near his home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.