Edward B. Eichelberger
Edward B. Eichelberger | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1934 Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Known for | Contributions to VLSI chip design, integrated circuit engineering, electronic design automation; co-creation of level-sensitive scan testing method |
| Notable work | Level-sensitive scan design (LSSD), Weighted Random Patterns |
Edward B. Eichelberger (born February 8, 1934, Norfolk, Virginia) is a distinguished American engineer honored as both an IBM Fellow and an IEEE Fellow (1986) for his significant contributions to VLSI chip design, integrated circuit engineering, and electronic design automation. In 1989, he and Thomas W. Williams (engineer) jointly received the IEEE Computer Society W. Wallace McDowell Award in recognition of their creation of the level-sensitive scan testing method and their advancements in design for testability principles. The IEEE Test Technology Technical Council awarded him its Lifetime Contribution Medal in 2000.
In 2009, Eichelberger was honored by induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Education and collegiate wrestling
Eichelberger claimed three state championships in wrestling while attending Granby High School. At Lehigh University, he achieved a 55-3-1 record and became the institution’s first wrestler to earn All-America honors three times. He graduated with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Lehigh in 1956, subsequently spent three years at IBM working on solid-state circuit design, and later earned a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Princeton University in 1963.
Professional career
Between 1956 and 1994, Eichelberger’s tenure at IBM was marked by work in chip and circuit design, electronic design automation, and test automation, during which he obtained 25 patents. His influential 1965 publication addressed hazard detection within combinational and sequential circuits. IBM recognized his development of the level-sensitive scan design (LSSD) technique with the Outstanding Contribution Award in 1973. Additionally, he pioneered Weighted Random Patterns, an innovation that garnered the IBM Outstanding Innovation Award.
The Computer History Museum has preserved Eichelberger’s professional legacy through an oral history interview.