Kenneth E. Manchester
The information listed below is current as of the date the transcript was finalized.
Interview Details
Interview Sessions
Abstract of Interview
Kenneth E. Manchester was drafted after high school to serve in World War II and later attended San Jose State University. Manchester then completed a PhD in chemistry at Stanford University under the supervision of George S. Parks and worked as a postdoctoral fellow under Eric Hutchinson for three years. Manchester joined the surface chemistry group at Shell Development Company in 1955 and moved to Sprague Electric Company in 1962. At Sprague, he directed a research group that pioneered in the development of ion implantation, a key process in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Manchester later headed semiconductor research at Sprague before serving as director of quality assurance and reliability. He concludes the interview with thoughts on the need for chemists in semiconductor development.
Education
| Year | Institution | Degree | Discipline |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | San Jose State University | AB | Chemistry |
| 1950 | Stanford University | MS | Chemistry |
| 1955 | Stanford University | PhD | Thermochemistry |
Professional Experience
Stanford University
Shell Development Company
Sprague Electric Company
Allegro Microsystems, Inc.
Honors
| Year(s) | Award |
|---|---|
| 1948 | Scholarship award, top ten highest grade point averages at San Jose State College |
| 1949 | Member, Key Club of Phi Beta Kappa Faculty Club, San Jose State College |
| 1961 | Member, Optimist Club of Concord, California |
| 1984 | Sprague-Worcester Major Achievement Award, Sprague Electric Company |
| 1984 | Employee of the Year, Sprague Electric Company |
| 1985 | Commendation from Vice President of Integrated Circuits Operation, Sprague Electric Company |
| 1985 | Sprague Fellow, Sprague Electric Company |
| 1988 | Biographical record, Electronics Buyers News, September edition |
| 1993 | Biographical record, Who's Who in the World |
Table of Contents
Childhood. Influence of early teachers. Military service. Marriage. College education at Santa Clara University. Graduate work at Stanford University. Eric Hutchinson. Innovation in equipment design.
Surface chemistry group. Instrumentation.
Semiconductor development. Ion implantation. Collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Ion implantation system. Collaboration with MOSTEK Corporation. Operating through labor strike. Kurt Lehovec. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor. Hall sensor. Relationship between Sprague Electric Company and MOSTEK Corporation. Implanted resistor.
Quality assurance. Relationship to IBM Corporation. Hall element patent.
Importance of chemical education in semiconductor work.
About the Interviewer
Christophe Lécuyer is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, and he received a PhD in history from Stanford University. He was a fellow of the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology and has taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and the University of Virginia. Before becoming a senior research fellow at CHF, Lécuyer was the program manager of the electronic materials department. He has published widely on the history of electronics, engineering education, and medical and scientific instruments, and is the author of Making Silicon Valley: Innovation and the Growth of High Tech, 1930–1970 (2005).