ABSTRACT
By the late 1970s, it was clear that fundamental forces were changing the worldwide semiconductor industry. In the United States, long-simmering worries about the competitiveness of the American semiconductor industry have suddenly come to the boil. The Defense Science Board, in concert with the Semiconductor Industry Association, has led the way, calling for a massive federal program of co-operative research and the formation of a co-operative manufacturing facility aimed at boosting American capabilities in process technology. The future of the microelectronics industry is uncertain, far more uncertain than many of the participants in today's debates pretend. Congress is writing trade legislation inspired by and aimed at microelectronics, and the Executive Branch has chimed in its sympathies, along with its disapproval of the proposed Japanese acquisition of an American-grown merchant semiconductor firm. The chapter also presents an overview on the key concepts discussed in this book.
