Invention of the integrated circuit

Lore & Background

The idea of integrating electronic circuits into a single device began with Werner Jacobi, who developed and patented the first known integrated transistor amplifier in 1949. In 1952, Geoffrey Dummer proposed integrating standard electronic components in a monolithic semiconductor crystal. Harwick Johnson filed a patent for a prototype IC in 1953. Between 1953 and 1957, Sidney Darlington and Yasuo Tarui proposed similar chip designs where several transistors could share a common active area, but without electrical isolation.

A breakthrough came in late 1958 when three people from three U.S. companies solved fundamental problems. Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments patented the principle of integration, created the first prototype ICs, and commercialized them, though his invention was a hybrid IC. Between late 1958 and early 1959, Kurt Lehovec of Sprague Electric Company developed p–n junction isolation. The first monolithic IC chip was invented by Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor, who invented a way to connect IC components using aluminium metallization and proposed an improved insulation based on the planar process technology developed by Jean Hoerni. On September 27, 1960, using the ideas of Noyce and Hoerni, a group led by Jay Last at Fairchild Semiconductor created the first operational semiconductor IC.

Reader's Guide

The invention of the integrated circuit resolved the 'tyranny of numbers' that plagued early electronic devices, where increasing component counts reduced reliability and increased downtime. The IC allowed multiple components to be fabricated on a single semiconductor chip, dramatically improving reliability and reducing size. Kilby's hybrid IC and Noyce's monolithic IC represented different approaches, with Noyce's design becoming the basis for modern chips. The patent war between Texas Instruments and Fairchild was settled in 1966 by cross-licensing. Kilby was awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics for his part in the invention. In the 2000s, historians reinstated the idea of multiple IC inventors and revised Kilby's contribution. The IC enabled the miniaturization and complexity of modern electronics, from computers to consumer devices.

Did You Know?

• The first planar monolithic integrated circuit chip was demonstrated in 1960.
• Jack Kilby's invention was a hybrid integrated circuit, not a monolithic one.
• Kurt Lehovec developed p–n junction isolation for electrical separation of components.
• There is no consensus on who invented the integrated circuit.