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Updated: Jack Kilby, co-inventor of the IC, dies at 81
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Spencer Chin
Page 1 of 2
EE Times
(06/21/2005 12:25 PM EDT)
MANHASSET, N.Y. — Jack St. Clair Kilby, retired TI engineer and acknowledged as the first inventor of the integrated circuit, passed away in Dallas Monday (June 20) after a brief battle with cancer.
He was 81.
Considered a pioneer of the microelectronics age, Kilby invented the first monolithic integrated circuit, laying the foundation for a wave of miniaturization and integration that continues at a rapid pace. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 for his role in the invention of the integrated circuit.
"In my opinion, there are only a handful of people whose works have truly transformed the world and the way we live in it -- Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers and Jack Kilby," said Tom Engibous, chairman of Texas Instruments, in a statement. "If there was ever a seminal invention that transformed not only our industry but our world, it was Jack's invention of the first integrated circuit."
Kilby was a known as man of few words, but is remembered fondly by friends and associates as both a gentleman and gentle man. Standing 6 feet 6 inches high, he was occasionally called the "gentle giant" in the press.
But Kilby was not afraid to raise his voice on issues near and dear to his heart.
Upon receiving the Nobel prize in physics in 2000, Kilby, in an interview with EE Times, decried what he thought was the disturbing industry trend to tie research into rapid commercialization.
"I see two roles, and I think they're both very valuable," Kilby said during the interview. "Much of what we do has a very strong academic basis. [But] sometimes corporate research is required [so it can be] put into useable form and commercialized."
Kilby was also humble. When interviewed by EE Times in 2000, he was quick to point out that former Fairchild scientist Robert Noyce, who applied for an IC patent July 30, 1959, had developed an IC design that turned out to be more manufacturable than his and could have merited a Nobel prize as well.
Though TI and Fairchild sparred for some years over who invented the IC, today many consider Kilby and Noyce both co-inventors.
Although Kilby had management roles at TI, he considered himself first and foremost an engineer. Besides the IC, he also played a key role in two other inventions—the handheld electronic calculator and the thermal printer. All told, Kilby held over 60 patents for electronics inventions.
"Jack Kilby was always an engineer's engineer," said Gordon Moore, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Intel, in a statement. "He remained true to his technical roots, loyal to the principles of science and was always a gentleman to those who had the pleasure to meet him. He will be missed."
Early interest in electronics
Raised in Great Bend, Ks., Kilby's interest in electronics was fostered early. His father ran a small power company with customers scattered across rural western Kansas. When a severe ice storm drowned telephone and power lines, Kilby's father worked with amateur radio operators to communicate with his customers, triggering the younger Kilby's lifelong fascination with electronics.
Kilby pursued his electronics interest at the University of Illinois, though his studies were interrupted when he joined the Army during World War II. Following the war, Kilby completed his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois in 1947.
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