Ravi Todi, IEEE Electron Devices Society president
I am extremely honored and pleased to write this message for the inaugural issue of IEEE Electron Devices Magazine (ED-M) as the IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS) president. This issue of IEEE ED-M is dedicated to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the invention of the mighty little transistor. The invention of the point-contact transistor on 16 December 1947 and the BJT on 23 January 1948 revolutionized the semiconductor industry worldwide and brought profound changes to humanity. Over the past 75 years, the transistor’s device structure and fabrication technology have continuously evolved from the “point-contact” transistor to the state-of-the-art, ultrathin-body FET. This continuous evolution of transistor architecture and disruptive innovation of IC fabrication processes led to the production of high-performance, low-power, high-density, and low-cost VLSI circuits and systems or IC chips, enabling smart environments and integrated ecosystems. The relentless pursuit of worldwide R&D on electron devices continues to produce high-performance devices that continuously improve computational efficiency and computing power that support wireless communication technology and 5G and Beyond, not to mention computationally intelligent devices that support artificial intelligence and machine learning. Later this year, a commemorative volume, “75th Anniversary of the Transistor,” will be published to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the invention of the transistor and provide comprehensive coverage of the historical, underlying perspective of the invention of the transistor and its subsequent evolutions.
EDS is truly an international Society with more than 11,000 members and more than 250 local Chapters worldwide. Over the past seven decades, EDS has been true to its vision of promoting excellence in the field of electron devices for the benefit of humanity. EDS is a volunteer-led organization with the mission to foster professional growth of its members by satisfying their needs for easy access to and exchange of technical information, publishing, and education and technical recognition, while enhancing public visibility in the field of electron devices. As EDS is an all-volunteer Society, the selfless dedication of our volunteers is of utmost importance for the well-being of our Society. Our volunteers organize our conferences and workshops, and lead our education programs, including webinars, distinguished lecture series, and tutorials. Our volunteers help make our publications one of the best within our field by serving as reviewers and editors. Our volunteers help shape the scope of our technical committees by serving on various technical committees, and finally, our volunteers serve in various governing roles like Chapter officers, Society board and forum members, committee chairs, executive committee members, and Society officers. I encourage every reader to connect with EDS, your professional Society, and help volunteer to lead the future our of Society.
Finally, I take this opportunity to acknowledge the dedication and visionary leadership of past EDS volunteer leaders who have made EDS one of the premier Societies of IEEE.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MED.2023.3263401