Jack S. Kilby

Jack Kilby's invention of the integrated circuit laid the foundation for the field of modern electronics. By creating the first integrated circuit, he proved that many electronic components could exist on the same piece of semi-conducting material.

 Kilby grew up in Great Bend, Kansas and graduated with a M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin. During the summer of 1958 while working with borrowed and improvised equipment at TI  he conceived and built the first electronic circuit in which all of the components were fabricated in a single piece of silicone half the size of a paper clip. At the time, newly hired into IT, Kilby did not have the privilege of a leave at the company's first vacation break. (that had to be a bummer) Undisturbed by the normal level of activity, he decided to use the time at work to develop his own thoughts on what might ultimately prove to be the best way to achieve integration. He had the idea of engraving transistors, resistors, capacitors, and interconnects, on the same semi-conducting substrate making a completely "integrated circuit"—essentially all components being fabricated from the wafer of silicon.

The laboratory demonstration of that first simple microchip made history on on September 12, 1958. His circuit  made possible the miniaturization of  the sophisticated high-speed circuits and large-capacity memories we use nowadays. The management of the company was highly enthusiastic about the concept and the work went ahead rapidly after researchers had produced working circuits. Once the  soundness of the concept was demonstrated and the basic mastered it was announced publicly at the March 1959 meeting of the Institution of Radio Engineers Kilby's success. (I bet he got from then on.)

Kilby later co-invented the worlds first hand-held calculator. Thank you  Jack Kilby!