SEMI's Great Moments in Semiconductor History: In the mid-1950s. Dr. Henry W. Gutsche (right), developed a process for turning silicon into a commercially producible semiconductor-grade material. In the 1960s, Robert Lorenzini, developed a crystal growth furnace for mass-production of silicon ingots. Both men were honored in 1979 with SEMMY awards for their contributions to silicon technology. (No. 3 in a series of paintings by Jim deLeon commemorating Great Moments in Semiconductor History" commissioned by the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials Institute.)