caption death_date death_place birth_place citizenship awards nationality fields workplaces birth_date alt residence known_for image article_title name alma_mater
gunn , 1969 . -lrb- middle -rrb- with friends at a party 02 december 2008 mount kisco , new york , usa cairo , egypt british ieee , valdemar poulsen medal , john scott award -lrb- 1971 morris -rrb- , ieee fellow -lrb- 1968 -rrb- , ibm fellow n. -lrb- 1971 -rrb- liebmann memorial award -lrb- 1969 -rrb- british semiconductor physics elliott british columbia , thomas j. watson research center -lrb- ibm brothers -rrb- , royal radar establishment , university of 13 may 1928 gunn , 1969 . -lrb- middle -rrb- with friends at a party england , canada , united states gunn effect gunn 's group c.jpg j. b. gunn
 j. b. gunn trinity college , cambridge
j. b. gunn

john battiscombe `` j. b. '' gunn -lrb- 13 may 1928 -- 2 december 2008 -rrb- , known as ian or iain , was a british physicist , who spent most of his career in the united states .
he discovered the gunn effect , which led to the invention of the gunn diode , the first inexpensive source of microwave power that did not require vacuum tubes .
he was born john battiscombe gunn , but only used that name in legal documents .
