Robert Dennard is acknowledged as the inventor of dynamic random access memory in 1968.
Dennard was one of the first to recognize the potential associated with transistor scaling. In 1974 he postulated that MOSFETs would continue to function as voltage-controlled switches while all key figures of merit, such as layout density, operating speed, and energy efficiency improve – provided geometric dimensions, voltages, and doping concentrations are consistently scaled to maintain the same electric field.
Dennard received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Southern Methodist University, Dallas and a Ph.D. from Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
