George Edward Alcorn -- Inventor of Aerospace and Semiconductor Inventions

George Edward Alcorn Jr.
Born	March 22, 1940 Indianapolis, Indiana
Alma mater	Occidental College Howard University

 

 

George Edward Alcorn

 Born March 22, 1940

 

X-Ray Spectrometer

US Patent No. 4,472,728

Inducted in 2015

Born March 22, 1940 

 

George Alcorn is a pioneering physicist and engineer noted for his aerospace and semiconductor inventions.

 

 His x-ray imaging spectrometer, patented during his career at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), allowed for the detection of radio signatures at a more distant and accurate rate than previously possible and influenced the continued evolution of imaging devices.

 

Used with space telescopes and other satellites, x-ray imaging spectrometers provide highly useful data for a wide range of scientific and technical applications. 

 

With improvements that addressed structural and performance deficiencies, Alcorn's devices and their descendants have been used to conduct planetary mapping, search for new planets, create star charts to reveal motions of systems, and examine deep space phenomena.

 

George Edward Alcorn Jr. --- Inventor of the X-Ray Spectrometer

 

George Edward Alcorn Jr. 

(born March 22, 1940) 

 

 

Patents issued

• #4,172,004, 10/23/1979, Method for forming dense dry etched multi-level metallurgy with non-overlapped vias
• #4,201,800, 5/6/1980, Hardened photoresist master image mask process
• #4,289,834, 9/15/1981, Dense dry etched multi-level metallurgy with non-overlapped vias
• #4,472,728, 9/18/1984, Imaging X-ray spectrometer^[6]
• #4,543,442, 9/24/1985, GaAs Schottky barrier photo-responsive device and method of fabrication
• #4,618,380, 10/21/1986, Method of fabricating an imaging X-ray spectrometer
• #4,062,720, 12/13/1977, Process for forming ledge-free aluminum copper silicon conductor structure
• #3,986,912, 10/19/1976, Process for controlling the wall inclination of a plasma etched via hole

George Edward Alcorn Jr. ---- One of Alcorn's best-known inventions is the X-ray spectrometer

 

 

 George Edward Alcorn Jr. 

(born March 22, 1940)

 

Inventions

One of Alcorn's best-known inventions is the X-ray spectrometer, which earned him the NASA–Goddard Space Flight Center award for Inventor of the Year in 1984.^[2] 

 

 Other significant inventions concerned plasma etching for semiconductor devices. In 1999, Alcorn was honored with an award from Government Executive magazine for developing the Airborne LIDAR Topographic Mapping System (ALTMS) in partnership with the Houston Advanced Research Center.^[2]

 

In 2015, Alcorn was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame for his invention of the X-ray spectrometer.^[4]

George Edward Alcorn Jr. --- an American Physicist, Engineer, Inventor

 

 George Edward Alcorn Jr. 

 (born March 22, 1940)

 

 

Private Industry Work

After earning his PhD, Alcorn spent twelve years working in the private sector.^[3] He held positions as senior scientist at Philco-Ford, senior physicist at Perkin-Elmer, and advisory engineer at IBM.^[3]

 

Personal life

Alcorn married his wife Marie DaVillier in 1969 and they have one son born in 1979.^[5] Alcorn's brother Charles works at IBM as a research physicist.^[5]

 

George Edward Alcorn Jr. --- He has over 30 inventions and 8 patents resulting in his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015

 

 George Edward Alcorn Jr. 

 (born March 22, 1940)

 

During the summers of 1962 and 1963, he worked as a research engineer for the Space Division of North American Rockwell. 

 

He was involved with the computer analysis of launch trajectories and orbital mechanics for Rockwell missiles, including the Titan I and II, the Saturn and the Nova.^[1] 

 

 After earning a PhD in Molecular and Atomic Physics from Howard University in 1967, he went on to hold teaching positions in electrical engineering at Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia.

George Edward Alcorn Jr.

 

 

George Edward Alcorn Jr.

 (born March 22, 1940)

 

 

Alcorn is an American physicist, engineer, inventor, and distinguished professor. He taught at Howard University and the University of the District of Columbia, and worked primarily for IBM and NASA.

 

 He has over 30 inventions and 8 patents resulting in his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2015. 

 

Education and Academic Career

 

Alcorn received a four-year academic scholarship to Occidental College in Los Angeles, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. 

 

He received his degree with honors while earning eight letters in basketball and football. Alcorn earned a Master of Science in Nuclear Physics in 1963 from Howard University, after nine months of study.

 

Kenneth J. Dunkley--- is a Microsoft and Robotics Application Trainer

 

Kenneth J. Dunkley

Born 1939 -

 

 

 Known as both a visual pioneer and a leader in the field of holography, Dunkley is the president of Holospace Laboratories Inc.

 

Dunkley conducts visual effects workshops at the Museum of Scientific Discovery in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.^[4] 

 

 Dunkley also has experience as a Microsoft and robotics application trainer.^[2]