ABSTRACT
By controlling the flow of electrons, electronic devices allow us to process, store and transmit information. The technological advances which created the possibility to manufacture cheap integrated circuits containing very large numbers of components produced a microelectronics revolution. The first such integrated circuits were developed by Jack Kilby at Texas instruments, and Robert Noyce and Jean Hoemi at Fairchild in 1958-59. The integrated circuit of J. Kilby was very simple: one transistor, one resistor and one capacitor, but all on the same germanium crystal with gold wire interconnections. The integrated circuit manufactured by R. Noyce and J. Home had interconnections deposited on the surface and was manufactured using a planar process.
