Technology >> CEO Interviews >> January 10, 2000
DONALD R. SCIFRES has been CEO, President and a Member of the Board of
Directors of SDL, Inc. since he helped found the company in 1983. In
1992, Dr. Scifres became Chairman of the Board. Dr. Scifres earned a
Ph.D in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois in 1972.
From 1972 to 1983, Dr. Scifres held increasingly responsible positions
at the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center including Manager of
Optoelectronics and Xerox Research Fellow. Dr. Scifres is a member of
the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Institute of
Electrical and Electronic Engineers and the Optical Society of America.
He holds over 100 U.S. patents and has won a number of industry awards
for commercialization of semiconductor optoelectronics and laser
technology. Dr. Scifres has also served as the President of the Laser
and Electro-Optics Manufacturers' Association and the IEEE Laser and
Electro-Optics Society. Profile
TWST: Could we start out with a brief overview and a history of thecompany, just to set the stage for the readers?
Mr. Scifres: SDL began operations in 1983 as a joint venture of Xerox
and