Solid State Circuits Society

September 28, 2010

Title:  The Makers of the Microchip: Creating the Planar Integrated Circuit, Establishing Silicon Valley

Speakers:

David C. Brock Senior, Research Fellow, Center for Contemporary History and Policy, Chemical Heritage Foundation

Christophe Lecuyer, Principal Economic Analyst, Office of the President of the University of California

Abstract:

In the first three and a half years of its existence, Fairchild Semiconductor developed, produced, and marketed the device that would become the fundamental building block of the digital world: the microchip. Founded in 1957 by eight former employees of the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, Fairchild created the model for a successful Silicon Valley start-up: intense activity with a common goal, close collaboration, and a quick path to the market (Fairchild’s first device hit the market just ten months after the company’s founding). Fairchild Semiconductor was one of the first companies financed by venture capital, and its success inspired the establishment of venture capital firms in the San Francisco Bay area. These firms would finance the explosive growth of Silicon Valley over the next several decades.

Our talk presents an overview of our new book from MIT Press, Makers of the Microchip. This history of the early years of Fairchild Semiconductor examines the technological, business, and social dynamics behind its innovative products. The centerpiece of the book is a collection of documents, reproduced in facsimile, including the company’s first prospectus; ideas, sketches, and plans for the company’s products; and a notebook kept by co-founder Jay Last that records problems, schedules, and tasks discussed at weekly meetings.

Speaker Bios:

Christophe Lécuyer is Principal Economic Analyst in the Office of the President of the University of California and the author of Making Silicon Valley: Innovation and the Growth of High Tech, 1930-1970 (MIT Press, 2005).

David C. Brock is Senior Research Fellow at the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s Center for Contemporary History and the editor of Understanding Moore’s Law: Four Decades of Innovation.

Co-sponsors:

IEEE Electron Devices Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter

IEEE Computer Society , Santa Clara Valley Chapter

Please note, this meeting will be held on Tuesday  Sept. 28, 2010

National Semiconductor Building E Auditorium
2900 Semiconductor Dr., Santa Clara, CA 95051 Directions and NSC Map

Refreshments are provided at 6:00 PM and the talk typically begins at 6:30 PM.
Donations requested to partially cover food cost.

The talks are open to everyone, feel free to join us even if you are not an IEEE member yet.

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