Wilfred Corrigan

Wilfred J. Corrigan
Born
Liverpool, England
Occupation(s)CEO of Fairchild Semiconductor and founder of LSI Logic

Wilfred J. Corrigan is a British engineer and entrepreneur, known for founding and running LSI Logic Corp. He was the chairman and chief executive of LSI for over two decades until 2005, during the earlier part of which he made vital contributions to the company. He was the founder and served twice as chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Corrigan is a veteran of Fairchild Semiconductor.

He was born in Liverpool, England, as the son of a dock worker, graduated with a degree in chemical engineering from the Imperial College of Science before starting his career at Motorola Semiconductor.[1] He later joined Fairchild Semiconductor, rising through the ranks to eventually become president and CEO for five years.[2] He left Fairchild in 1979 after selling the then ailing company to Schlumberger, an oilfield services firm.[3]

As the founder of LSI Logic, Corrigan pioneered modern-day gate array, standard-cell application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), system-on-a-chip and platform ASIC businesses. Before founding LSI Logic, Corrigan spearheaded the growth of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation as chairman, president, and chief executive officer and earlier as its vice president and general manager of its Semiconductor Division.[4] Corrigan is also an inventor and holds two U.S. patents related to field-effect device manufacturing and gas etching.

In 1990, Corrigan testified before the United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce about foreign competition in semiconductor manufacture.[5]

He is a recipient of the SIA's Robert N. Noyce Medal,[6] Semico Research's Bellwether Award and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's Lifetime Achievement Award. He also is a member of the board of directors of the Semiconductor Industry Association, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Imperial College London and London's City and Guild Institute and a driving force in the establishment of the World Semiconductor Council.

  1. ^ Pasiuk, L.; Vault (Firm) (2006). Vault Guide to the Top Tech Employers. Vault Guide to the Top Technology Employers Series. Vault. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-58131-339-0. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  2. ^ Castellano, J.A. (2005). Liquid Gold: The Story Of Liquid Crystal Displays And The Creation Of An Industry. World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 118. ISBN 978-981-4482-03-5. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  3. ^ Nesheim, J.L. (2000). High Tech Start Up, Revised and Updated: The Complete Handbook For Creating Successful New High Tech Companies. High Tech Start Up: The Complete Handbook for Creating Successful New High Tech Companies. Free Press. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-684-87170-7. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  4. ^ Klepper, S.; Braguinsky, S.; Hounshell, D.A.; Miller, J.H. (2015). Experimental Capitalism: The Nanoeconomics of American High-Tech Industries. The Kauffman Foundation Series on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Princeton University Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-691-16962-0. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  5. ^ Unfair Foreign Trade Practices: Second session, July 30 and September 24, 1990. Unfair Foreign Trade Practices: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, One Hundred First Congress. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1989. p. 35. Retrieved 15 July 2024.
  6. ^ "IEEE Robert N. Noyce Medal Recipients" (PDF). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 15 July 2024.