Gurtej Sandhu, a former student of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, has become the seventh most prolific inventor in the world with 1,382 US patents, surpassing Thomas Edison’s record, bringing immense pride to the country and his alma mater.
Currently senior fellow and vice-president at Micron Technology, Gurtej has spearheaded groundbreaking advancements in microelectronics.
His work on atomic layer deposition, oxygen-free titanium coating and pitch-doubling techniques have been pivotal in sustaining Moore’s Law, enabling the creation of smaller, faster and more efficient chips that power modern devices like smartphones, cameras and cloud storage systems.
GNDU vice-chancellor Karamjeet Singh called it “a moment of unparalleled pride” for the university and the country. “Gurtej’s journey from our campus to global acclaim shows how dedication and curiosity can reshape the world. His success is an inspiration for our students and faculty alike,” he said.
Son of Prof SS Sandhu, the founding head of GNDU’s chemistry department, Gurtej completed his MSc (Honours) in Physics from GNDU around 1980, and went on to earn a BTech in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi and a PhD in physics from the University of North Carolina, US.
His contributions have earned him prestigious accolades, including the IEEE Andrew S Grove Award in 2018 for his advancements in semiconductor scaling.
{{/usCountry}}His contributions have earned him prestigious accolades, including the IEEE Andrew S Grove Award in 2018 for his advancements in semiconductor scaling.
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