Development of the thermionic valve. Historical survey of early research in semiconductors. Development of the transistor. Major technical processes used in semiconductor device fabrication. Review of major factors affecting the growth of the United States semiconductor industry. Review of the factors affecting the growth of the Japanese and South Korean semiconductor industries. Review of the European semiconductor industry.
This book provides a unique account of the history of integrated circuit, the microelectronics industry and the people involved in the development of transistor and integrated circuit. In this richly illustrated account the author argues that the group of inventors was much larger than originally thought. This is a personal recollection providing the first comprehensive behind-the-scenes account of the history of the integrated circuit.
The purpose of this book is to illustrate the magnificence of the fabless semiconductor ecosystem, and to give credit where credit is due. We trace the history of the semiconductor industry from both a technical and business perspective. We argue that the development of the fabless business model was a key enabler of the growth in semiconductors since the mid-1980s. Because business models, as much as the technology, are what keep us thrilled with new gadgets year after year, we focus on the evolution of the electronics business. We also invited key players in the industry to contribute chapters. These "In Their Own Words" chapters allow the heavyweights of the industry to tell their corporate history for themselves, focusing on the industry developments (both in technology and business models) that made them successful, and how they in turn drive the further evolution of the semiconductor industry.
Herman and George R. Brown, formidable figures in the construction industry and Texas politics, made a unique business team. Practical and decisive Herman and university-trained, soft-spoken George, a natural salesperson, combined their individual strengths, strong work ethic, and ambition to develop Brown & Root, one of America's preeminent construction companies. Builders serves both as a history of their lives and as an examination of business life in mid-twentieth-century America. In addition to examining the brothers' business accomplishments, Pratt and Castaneda address the political influence and antiunionism associated with the Brown name and present a balanced account of both the Browns' treatment of workers and of their longtime relationship with Lyndon Baines Johnson. Builders also traces the Browns' philanthropy, including the work of the Brown Foundation, through which George in particular contributed to the development of educational and cultural institutions.
The first years of the company that developed the microchip and created the model for a successful Silicon Valley start-up. 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 Schockley 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. 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 cofounder Jay Last that records problems, schedules, and tasks discussed at weekly meetings. A historical overview, interpretive essays, and an introduction to semiconductor technology in the period accompany these primary documents.
How the chip industry has responded to a series of crises over the past twenty-five years, often reinventing itself and shifting the basis for global competitive advantage. For decades the semiconductor industry has been a driver of global economic growth and social change. Semiconductors, particularly the microchips essential to most electronic devices, have transformed computing, communications, entertainment, and industry. In Chips and Change, Clair Brown and Greg Linden trace the industry over more than twenty years through eight technical and competitive crises that forced it to adapt in order to continue its exponential rate of improved chip performance. The industry's changes have in turn shifted the basis on which firms hold or gain global competitive advantage. These eight interrelated crises do not have tidy beginnings and ends. Most, in fact, are still ongoing, often in altered form. The U.S. semiconductor industry's fear that it would be overtaken by Japan in the 1980s, for example, foreshadows current concerns over the new global competitors China and India. The intersecting crises of rising costs for both design and manufacturing are compounded by consumer pressure for lower prices. Other crises discussed in the book include the industry's steady march toward the limits of physics, the fierce competition that keeps its profits modest even as development costs soar, and the global search for engineering talent. Other high-tech industries face crises of their own, and the semiconductor industry has much to teach about how industries are transformed in response to such powerful forces as technological change, shifting product markets, and globalization. Chips and Change also offers insights into how chip firms have developed, defended, and, in some cases, lost global competitive advantage.
Based on the deliberations of a high-level international conference, this report summarizes the presentations of an exceptional group of experts, convened by Intel's Chairman Emeritus Gordon Moore and SEMATECH's Chairman Emeritus William Spencer. The report documents the critical technological challenges facing this key industry and the rapid growth in government-industry partnerships overseas to support centers of semiconductor research and production in national economies. Importantly, the report provides a series of recommendations designed to strengthen U.S. research in disciplines supporting the continued growth of semiconductor industry, an industry which has made major contributions to the remarkable increases in productivity in the U.S. economy.
The semiconductor industry exhibited life cycles that were longer than the disk drive industry but had the same free market characteristics. Over time this unfettered competition followed trends in a worldwide market that could be quantified and used to predict the future. Over the past forty years or more, I've collected data and made presentations showing how the actual economics and technology of the semiconductor industry can be used to predict its future direction and magnitude. This book is built upon excerpts of presentations made during the last thirty years that analyze the business and technology of the semiconductor industry. In most cases, the figures in the book are copies of the original slides as they were presented during one or more of those presentations. In general, they show how predictable the semiconductor industry has been. They should also provide insight into the future of the industry.
A practical guide to semiconductor manufacturing from processcontrol to yield modeling and experimental design Fundamentals of Semiconductor Manufacturing and Process Controlcovers all issues involved in manufacturing microelectronic devicesand circuits, including fabrication sequences, process control,experimental design, process modeling, yield modeling, and CIM/CAMsystems. Readers are introduced to both the theory and practice ofall basic manufacturing concepts. Following an overview of manufacturing and technology, the textexplores process monitoring methods, including those that focus onproduct wafers and those that focus on the equipment used toproduce wafers. Next, the text sets forth some fundamentals ofstatistics and yield modeling, which set the foundation for adetailed discussion of how statistical process control is used toanalyze quality and improve yields. The discussion of statistical experimental design offers readers apowerful approach for systematically varying controllable processconditions and determining their impact on output parameters thatmeasure quality. The authors introduce process modeling concepts,including several advanced process control topics such asrun-by-run, supervisory control, and process and equipmentdiagnosis. Critical coverage includes the following: * Combines process control and semiconductor manufacturing * Unique treatment of system and software technology and managementof overall manufacturing systems * Chapters include case studies, sample problems, and suggestedexercises * Instructor support includes electronic copies of the figures andan instructor's manual Graduate-level students and industrial practitioners will benefitfrom the detailed exami?nation of how electronic materials andsupplies are converted into finished integrated circuits andelectronic products in a high-volume manufacturingenvironment. An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all theproblems in the book is available from the Wiley editorialdepartment. An Instructor Support FTP site is also available.
