Happy Birthday! Integrated circuit turns 50

TI’s Jack Kilby demonstrated the first working integrated circuit 50 years ago

By Jim Carbone -- Purchasing, 9/12/2008 2:20:00 PM

Texas Instruments marked the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit by launching Kilby Labs, a new center that will further develop semiconductor technology.

The center was announced September 12, the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit invented by Jack Kilby, who developed the chip in 1958 as a young engineer working at TI.

Kilby Labs will be located on TI's Dallas North Campus and is inspired by the original TI lab, where Kilby first designed the IC.

Kilby’s first working integrated circuit consisted of a transistor, several resistors, and a capacitor on a sliver of germanium less than half an inch long.

The new facility will bring together university researchers and leading TI engineers who will work to discover new opportunities for semiconductor technology. Researchers at Kilby Labs will focus on developing chip advances that make a difference in people’s lives, says TI.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) also marked the 50th anniversary of Kilby’s integrated circuit.

“In the ensuing half century since Kilby’s invention, the integrated circuit has proved to be the single most important driver of increased productivity and economic growth in history,” says SIA President George Scalise. “The integrated circuit provides the critical technology for countless electronic devices that enable people everywhere to lead more productive lives.”

Kilby’s contribution was recognized in 2000 when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.