Bantval Jayant Baliga is an Indian electrical engineer best known for his work in power semiconductor devices, and particularly the invention of the insulated gate bipolar transistor. Dr. B. Jayant Baliga wrote: “Power semiconductor devices are recognized as a key component of all power electronic systems.
Baliga grew up in Jalahalli, a small village near Bangalore, India. His father, Bantwal Vittal Manjunath Baliga, was one of India’s first electrical engineers in the days before independence and founding President of the Indian branch of the Institute of Radio Engineers, which later became the IEEE in India. Baliga’s father played pivotal roles in the founding of Indian television and electronics industries
Jayant received his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1969, and his MS (1971) and PhD (1974) in Electrical Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
He worked 15 years at the General Electric Research and Development Center in Schenectady, New York, then joined North Carolina State University in 1988 as a Full Professor. He was promoted to Distinguished University Professor in 1997. His invention insulated gate bipolar transistor that combines sciences from two streams Electronics engineering and Electrical engineering. This has resulted in cost savings of over $15 trillion for consumers, and is forming a basis for smart grid. Baliga then worked in academic field. He also founded three companies that made products based on semiconductor technologies.
Prof. Baliga has authored/edited 18 books and over 500 scientific articles. He has been granted 120 U.S. Patents. Prof. Baliga invented, developed and commercialized the Insulated Gate Bipolar Trannsistor (IGBT) at GE. The IGBT is exteIt is estimated that at least 50 percent of the electricity used in the world is controlled by power devices.
With the wide spread use of electronics in the consumer, industrial, medical, and transportation sectors, power devices have a major impact on the economy because they determine the cost and efficiency of systems.
After the initial replacement of vacuum tubes by solid state devices in the 1950s, semiconductor power devices have taken a dominant role with silicon serving as the base material.
These developments have been referred to as the Second Electronic Revolution”It is estimated that at least 50 percent of the electricity used in the world is controlled by power devices.
With the wide spread use of electronics in the consumer, industrial, medical, and transportation sectors, power devices have a major impact on the economy because they determine the cost and efficiency of systems.
After the initial replacement of vacuum tubes by solid state devices in the 1950s, semiconductor power devices have taken a dominant role with silicon serving as the base material.
These developments have been referred to as the Second Electronic Revolution”.. He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest form of recognition given to an engineer by the United States Government, from President Obama in October 2011, at the White House; and the North Carolina Award for Science from Governor Purdue in October 2012.