Bernie Siegal's first involvement in semiconductor thermal matters came in 1966 while working at Hewlett-Packard Associates (HPA), the microwave semiconductor group within HP. He and an associate developed a automated system for making thermal resistance measurements on microwave diodes and authored the feature article describing the method that appeared in the October 1967 issue of the HP Journal. From that beginning to today, Bernie has been an active participant in the semiconductor thermal measurement, modeling and management filed.

In 1974, Bernie founded SAGE Enterprises, Inc. and began offering test equipment for measurement of thermal resistance for many different types of semiconductor devices. The thermal testing techniques Bernie developed eventually became incorporated into many of the industry (SEMI and EIA/JEDEC) and US military measurement (Mil Std 750) standards. Besides being actively involved in many of the various standards-creating committees, Bernie was co-founder and primary force behind the start of SEMI-THERM, the premier technical symposium in the field. He has authored over 40 technical papers, presented seminars to world-wide audiences, and conducted several short courses for the Univ. of California, Berkeley, extension program. His current company, THERMAL ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES, INC. (TEA ), maintains his involvement in the field. Bernie holds M.B.A. (Santa Clara University), M.S.E.E. (San Jose State University), and B.E.E. (Cornell University) degrees. He was elected a Life Fellow of the IEEE and received the IEEE Significant Contributor Award for his work in the semiconductor thermal field. He currently serves as a member of the Executive Committee for the IEEE CPMT Silicon Valley Chapter and Chairman of the Steering Committee for Semi-Therm (Semiconductor Thermal Measurement, Modeling and Management) symposium.