China's power semiconductor pioneer dies at 89

CHENGDU -- Chen Xingbi, a renowned Chinese scientist and pioneer of power semiconductor devices research, died of illness at the age of 89 Wednesday in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Born in Shanghai and a graduate of Tongji University, Chen is an academician with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.

Chen is also a senior fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and became the first scientist in the Asian-Pacific region to win the IEEE International Symposium on Power Semiconductor Devices and ICs (ISPSD) 2015 Pioneer Award.

He was enshrined in the IEEE ISPSD Hall of Fame last year for contributions to super junction power semiconductor devices.