The 2009 class of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, based in Akron, Ohio:

Living class members

Martin M. (John) Atalla — Transistor for integrated circuits and PIN method for security in automated banking machines.

Alfred Y. Cho — A way to layer materials for use in lasers, cell phones and other devices.

Dov Frohman-Bentchkowsy — Programmable read-only memory chip.

George Heilmeier — First liquid crystal displays.

Larry Hornbeck — Digital micromirror device to turn light into projected images.

Jack Macdougall and Ken Manchester — Method to change electrical conductivity of silicon.

Carver Mead — Tools for adding thousands of transistors to a silicon chip.

Gordon Moore — Silicon chip manufacturing methods.

Frank Wanlass — Complementary metal oxide semiconductor.

Deceased class members

Ross Freeman — A computer chip that can be reprogrammed to change its functions.

Jean Hoerni — A manufacturing process for integrated circuits.

Dawon Kahng — Transistor that switches electrical signals on or off or amplifying them.

Gordon Teal — First functioning silicon transistors.

Robert Widlar — Circuits to process and amplify signals.

___

On the Net:

http://www.invent.org