EDN's 18th Annual Innovation Awards Finalists

Determination and perseverance can be the keys to innovation and certainly have long played a role in the amazing proliferation of the semiconductor industry. Bob Dobkin, chief technology officer and co-founder of Linear Technology Corp, exemplifies that determination and innovative spirit. Dobkin did pioneering work on linear regulators and 30 years ago designed the first three-terminal adjustable regulator at National Semiconductor. For all of these years, Dobkin knew that system designers would value a regulator design that could share the power load in parallel configurations and adjust to 0V. In 2007, semiconductor-process technology, including laser-trim capability, allowed Dobkin and his team to deliver the LT3080 regulator, which touts these features.

Dobkin has pioneered the development of a broad range of high-performance analog ICs and holds more than 90 patents. He began his career with Bob Pease at a small electronics company on the East Coast after leaving the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and shortly moved west to take over the position as director of advanced linear circuits at National Semiconductor from Bob Widlar. In 1981, Dobkin left National with Bob Swanson to found Linear Technology Corp.

 The LT3080 replaces the traditional voltage reference in three-terminal regulators with a precision 1% current source and voltage follower, allowing multiregulator current sharing. The ability to parallel regulators allows system designers to spread the power and heat load on a complex PCB (printed-circuit board) and avoid using more costly and noisy switching regulators. A single resistor from the set pin programs the output at 100 kΩ/V. Designers can also drive the set pin with an active circuit, such as a DAC. The design can both power and shut down low-voltage digital circuits using only three pins.