The Computer History Museum (CHM) announced today the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit (“IC@50”) celebration comprising the following events: on May 6, an evening reception and panel presentation; on May 8, a commemorative plaque unveiling in the afternoon and an evening panel presentation; and a May 8 premier of a first-time exhibit of patent notebooks written by key Fairchild and Texas Instruments’ personnel. The IC@50 is part of a year-long Salute to the Semiconductor program at CHM and features renowned semiconductor pioneers to honor the history of the integrated circuit and its profound impact on societies throughout the modern world.
- Wednesday, May 6, 2009, at 6 p.m. at CHM for an evening reception, presentation, and panel titled, "From Tinkertoys to Solid Circuits: Microcircuitry in the Late 1950s." The speakers will discuss how the fierce technological competition between different approaches to microcircuitry led to Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments’ development of the company’s Solid Circuits. Speakers include:
- Michael Riordan, adjunct professor of physics at the University of Calif., Santa Cruz, co-author of the book Crystal Fire and lecturer in Stanford University’s History and Philosophy of Science Program
- L. Arthur D’Asaro, former senior scientist at Bell Telephone Laboratories
- Jay W. Lathrop, former DOFL and TI scientist, Professor Emeritus Clemson University
- Thomas Stanley, former staff vice president for research at RCA Labs (Video)
- Charles Phipps, former vice president of marketing at TI and partner emeritus at Sevin Rosen Funds
- Friday, May 8, 2009, at 3:30 p.m. the IEEE commemorative plaque unveiling for festivities beginning at CHM, where shuttle service is then provided to the original corporate location of Fairchild Semiconductor in Palo Alto. Speakers include:
- Brian Halla, chairman and CEO of National Semiconductor
- Lewis Terman, 2008 president of IEEE
- Gordon Moore, a founder of Fairchild Semiconductor; Intel co-founder and former director of R&D; co-founder and chairman of the board of trustees of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
- Michael Riordan (see above)
- Friday, May 8, 2009, at 6 p.m. at CHM for the presentation and panel, "The Planar Integrated Circuit: Building the Future at Fairchild Semiconductor." The event will highlight how Jean Hoerni’s development of the planar process led to development of the modern integrated circuit.
Speakers include:
- Christophe Lecuyer, author of Making Silicon Valley, a book on Jean Hoerni and his development of the planar process
- Leslie Berlin, author of The Man Behind the Microchip a biography about Noyce and his conception of the planar integrated circuit
- Gordon Moore (see above)
- Jay T. Last, Fairchild Semiconductor co-founder and leader of the Micrologic team on the creative efforts required to turn Noyce’s concept into a working product
- CHM visitors will also see an exhibit of rare integrated circuit artifacts and the first public presentation of the original patent notebooks of Jean Hoerni, Jay Last, Gordon Moore, and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor. These notebooks will be displayed alongside a replica of the notebook of Jack Kilby of TI.
- The Kilby and Noyce documents sparked one of the most tenaciously fought intellectual-property battles yet seen by the U.S. Supreme Court. National Semiconductor, the successor to Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corp., and a sponsor of the program, is loaning the original Fairchild notebooks for display at the IC@50 events. As the original Kilby notebook is currently undergoing restoration, TI has created a replica copy especially for the event that will be donated to the Museum’s collection.
- For those unable to attend, the IC@50 Media Resource Webpage will be available as an online resource with statements on the importance of this technology milestone. Brian Halla, chairman and CEO of National Semiconductor, discusses how the IC is driving the growth of solar innovation. Ravi Subramanian, CEO of Berkeley Design Automation, and Arpit Joshipura, vice president, strategy, marketing and communications of Ericsson, discuss how the IC has contributed to the boom in the wireless industry. Intel executives discuss the critical importance of semiconductors on society. TI also offers an official statement on the role the IC played in real-time signal processing.
-The events of May 6 and 8 are co-produced by the Chemical Heritage Foundation, CHM and the IEEE Santa Clara Valley Section. Major funding is generously provided by Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Intel Corp. Additional funding for specific events is provided by the National Semiconductor Foundation, a charitable fund at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Silicon Industry Legacy Fund, CHM.
“The integrated circuit was a sonic boom that changed computer technology forever and, in turn, changed the world. The Computer History Museum is honored to celebrate this historic anniversary with so many of the people who made that revolution possible. I’m particularly excited that the Museum will be the venue for sharing their stories and for the first-ever public exhibition of the ground-breaking engineering notebooks that recorded history in the making.” – John Hollar, president and CEO of the Computer History Museum.
“I’m thrilled to support the Computer History Museum’s efforts to preserve computer history and to illustrate its relevance in today’s world. The IC@50 celebration recognizes an invention that has changed society. Our Foundation is proud to support this recognition.” – Gordon Moore, co-founder and chairman of the board of trustees at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
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IC@50 Media Resource Page
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The Computer History Museum (CHM) in Mountain View, Calif., is a nonprofit organization with a four-decade history. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computer history, and is home to the largest international collection of computing artifacts in the world, encompassing computer hardware, software, documentation, ephemera, photographs and moving images.
CHM brings computer history to life through an acclaimed speaker series, dynamic website, onsite tours, as well as physical and online exhibits. Current exhibits include “Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 2,” “Mastering the Game: A History of Computer Chess,” “Innovation in the Valley” – a look at Silicon Valley startups – and the unique “Visible Storage Gallery,” featuring over 600 key objects from the collection.
The signature “Computer History: The First 2,000 Years” exhibit will open in late 2010.
For more information, visit www.computerhistory.org or call (650) 810-1010.
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