Jack S Kilby

Invention of the integrated circuit

T BACKGROUND HE FIRST electronic equipments were composed of a few dozen components and could readily be asselnbled by hand-soldering techniques. Each component mas manufactured separately by a process optimized for the purpose. As electronic equipment became more complex, shortcomings in this procedure began to appear. The cost of the equipment increased more rapidly than the cornponent count, and equipment reliability suffered a corlesponding decrease. Because of their interest in complex electronic system, the problem was particularly apparent to the militav y. Each B-29 required nearly a thousand vacuum tubes a ~ l d tens of thousands of passive devices. Its electronics equipments were among the most complex systems in being at the time. By the end of World War I1 it was apparent that future systems would be limited by the cost, bulk, and reliability of the electronics. One of the first attempts to simplify the manufacturing process was carried out under National Bureau of Sta’qdards sponsorship. Their proximity fuse requirements necessitated compact rugged electronic subsystems. The Centralab Division of Globe-Union, Inc. proposed a design in which ceramic substrates would carry metal interco:?nections and chip capacitors, with miniaturized vacuum tubes attached. This proposal was developed by Rubenstein, Ehlers, Sherwood, and White of Centralab [l], and was probably the first attempt to form components in sit^ After the war, NBS and Centralab continued to work in this area. The Centralab effort, under R. L. Wolff and A. S. Khouri, developed high-volume screening techniqu(3s for production. Centralab built substantial quantities ~ a f amplifiers for hearing aid applications, with several dozen passive components and three or four tube sockets for active device attachment. They further simplified the concept by the use of a substrate with a high dielectric constant, permitting the fabrication of low cost RC net,works for radio and television applications. About 14.0 million circuits of this type were produced by 1962. The NBS effort, originally led by Brunetti and later by Franklin [2], also continued to develop two-dimensicn (2-D) circuit assemblies. A complete in-house fabricatien capability was established. In the early 1 9 5 0 ’ ~ ~ Robe::t Henry of this group, working under Navy sponsorshila, abandoned the 2-D concept and produced a novel design in which ceramic wafers with one to four passive components per wafer were stacked and interconnected with vertical riser wires. A tube socket was mounted above tk.e

Minuteman integrated circuits—A study in combined operations

This paper describes the procedures employed in the development of the custom integrated circuit complement utilized in the Improved MINUTEMAN computer. Two representative circuit types are presented with detailed design considerations and resultant decisions, thereby illustrating the necessity for a tightly-knit combined-operations concept in the custom design of semiconductor integrated circuits. Conclusions are drawn relative to the efficacy of the procedures used, and recommendations for corrective action are presented.

Interconnection techniques for semiconductor networks

The semiconductor miniaturization approaches which have been described recently have promised complete electronic equipments of extremely small size, light in weight, and of high reliability. Although complete equipments have not yet been built from these devices, this paper will describe some of the factors which must be considered in equipment design and show one technique which might be used for high density equipment.