Robert J. Widlar; Silicon Chip Designer

Robert J. Widlar, 53, a designer of linear integrated circuits used in consumer electronics devices. Widlar designed the silicon chips that handle continuously variable analog signals, as opposed to the on-off pulses of digital electronics. More than two dozen products he designed, including amplifiers and voltage regulators, remain in production. Widlar’s work helped make National Semiconductor Corp. of Santa Clara a leader in linear circuits. Widlar joined the company in 1966, moving to Mexico four years later on the money from his stock in the firm. Known for his humor, Widlar once brought a goat to work to eat the grass in front of company headquarters after National Semiconductor announced landscaping cutbacks in a money-saving move. Of a heart attack Feb. 27 while jogging in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.