image: Dr. Ted Moise, director of the North Texas Semiconductor Institute and materials science and engineering research professor at The University of Texas at Dallas.
Credit: The University of Texas at Dallas
During his career at Texas Instruments (TI), Dr. Ted Moise and his team pioneered the development of a memory technology that made it possible for electronic devices to store data 100 times faster while using less power than conventional approaches.
Moise (pronounced “mo-EES”), who now directs the North Texas Semiconductor Institute (NTxSI) at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been honored for his groundbreaking work at TI by being named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
The award is the highest professional distinction bestowed upon academic inventors whose work has impacted quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Moise is one of 170 inventors who will be inducted into the 2024 Class of Fellows at the academy’s annual meeting June 26 in Atlanta.
After retiring from TI in 2021, Moise joined UT Dallas as director of the newly formed NTxSI, which works to accelerate semiconductor innovation, entrepreneurship and workforce development in North Texas. Moise also serves as a research professor of materials science and engineering in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
“UT Dallas is fortunate to have Dr. Ted Moise lead its efforts to support groundbreaking research and a vibrant North Texas semiconductor ecosystem,” said Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, vice president for research and innovation and professor of bioengineering at UT Dallas. “As director of the North Texas Semiconductor Institute, Dr. Moise brings a wealth of expertise and accomplishments from his distinguished career at Texas Instruments, continuing longstanding ties between UT Dallas and TI. We could not be prouder of Dr. Moise’s latest honor.”
Beginning in 1997, Moise led TI’s efforts to develop ferroelectric random-access memory, or FRAM (pronounced “F-RAM”), a method for storing data on a chip using a class of crystals called ferroelectrics. FRAM is a type of nonvolatile memory that allows data to remain stored when power is removed from a device.
Advancing FRAM technology from the early days in the research labs into high volume manufacturing in multiple wafer fabrication facilities within TI was a 20-year process. Development and manufacturing teams at TI overcame numerous technical challenges, Moise said. In 2007, TI qualified its first product, a 4 megabyte-embedded FRAM chip, which, along with scores of other FRAM-based devices, continues to be manufactured today. Moise credits a core team of strong innovators, including frequent co-inventor Dr. Scott Summerfelt, a TI Fellow, and support from TI management as keys to success.
FRAM technology has applications across many industries, including ultra-low power microcontrollers, automotive data recorders and biomedical devices, such as glucose monitors. The technology is especially helpful in biomedical applications because it is not affected by radiation from scans such as X-rays. Several space-qualified FRAM products also have been released.
Moise, who holds 51 patents, earned bachelor’s degrees in physics and engineering from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and a PhD in electrical engineering from Yale University. Moise joined TI in 1992. He received the 2012 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award from the Texas Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science and is an IEEE Fellow.
Moise said he is honored to be named an NAI fellow.
“Being named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors is recognition that FRAM developed by Texas Instruments was an important technology that changed the world in positive ways, which is the whole point of engineering,” Moise said. “For me, it’s been a wonderful experience: To take a high-risk idea and make it work, and to have the technology still in production after nearly two decades is amazing.”