2) Interview with Jack Kilby
Jack Kilby being interviewed by Shimura
The two-hour interview with Jack Kilby was held with special consideration by TI Japan, and was featured in the May 1985 issue of the Japanese magazine, Denshi Zairyo (EN: Electronic Materials and Parts). Below, you can see some of the important parts of the interview.
Q: You came up with the idea for the IC, but
it seems Geoffrey Dummer from the British Radar Laboratory also had the first
original ideas...
A: The amplifiers and rectifiers in his concept were stacked
three-dimensionally and mutually connected, so it is fundamentally different
from the IC circuit made on a flat substrate with all components fully integrated.
Q: When was the exact date you came up with
the idea of the IC?
A: On July 8th, 1958.
Q: The patent war between you and Robert Noyce
of Intel dragged on for quite a while...
A: Mr. Noyce claimed patents for a number of inventions,
but the US Patent Office only approved the metal interconnect, especially
the part adhered to the oxidized film.
Eventually, the US Patent Office found my content and description to be more
appropriate, and gave the rights to me. Either way, my work was put into writing
in July 1958, while Mr. Noyce's was in 1959.
Q: Should we think that Kilby-IC and Noyce-IC
were helping each other to create IC?
A: Today's IC weren't made by just one or two people; thousands
of engineers and technicians have contributed to make them what they are now.
Q: Why did TI initially make the announcement using the name
“Solid Circuit”?
A: I'm not completely sure, but before the IC was invented,
the forums by the name of “Solid State Conference” were held in the US. It
was also called “Semiconductor Network” but these names were later abandoned.
Q: The members of the BBS Trio who invented
the transistor were only rewarded with just a dollar...
A: TI also had the same practices – I myself also received
just a buck (laughter).
Q: What do you think of the Japanese semiconductor
industry?
A: I thought that the semiconductor world didn’t need more
competition, but Japan has become just that. Japanese people are extremely
skilled and have extraordinary technology. I believe they will become a formidable
entity in this field.
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