Technology >> CEO Interviews >> January 10, 2000

Donald R. Scifres – Sdl Inc (sdli)

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 the

company, just to set the stage for the readers?

Mr. Scifres: SDL began operations in 1983 as a joint venture of Xerox

and