Silicon Genesis Project

Last updated
Silicon Genesis Project
LocationUnited States
TypeOral Histories
Affiliation Stanford University Library
Title of directorSilicon Valley Archives
DirectorLaila Razouk
Period covered1950-current
Building information
Building Cecil H. Green Library
Website https://exhibits.stanford.edu/silicongenesis

The Silicon Genesis Project is an on-going oral history project on the history of Silicon Valley and the semiconductor industry, conducted by volunteers and housed at the Stanford University Library. [1] [2]

Contents

History

The Silicon Genesis project was started and built upon the inspiration of Rob Walker (1935-2016 [3] ). Rob was a Silicon Valley native and Silicon Valley educated electrical engineer, who was involved with the semiconductor industry since the 1960s at Fairchild, Intel and as a founder of LSI Logic. He understood that if the stories of these pioneers were not captured for the benefit of future public access, they would be untold and lost forever. In 1995, Rob began a project with the Silicon Valley Archives in the Stanford University Libraries to record oral history interviews focused on the history of the semiconductor industry. The resulting video recordings and interview transcripts form the basis for the Silicon Genesis collection at Stanford, and available for researchers and others with an interest in this history.

Role of Stanford University

The Silicon Valley Archives [4] in the Stanford Libraries provides access to several collections related to the Silicon Genesis oral histories. [5] [6] These include the Rob Walker Papers, the Silicon Destiny collection of oral history cassette tapes, videos, and transcripts assembled for Rob Walker's book Silicon Destiny, [7] and the Silicon Genesis collection, [8] which includes physical media for many of the interviews in the series featured in the exhibit.

The collection of interviews

Interviews

Subjects to be interviewed have been chosen based on their historic contributions to the semiconductor and related industries. Persons conducting the interviews are former executives of semiconductor companies and have expertise in the fields being discussed. These individuals have volunteered their time to identify persons of historic interest, scheduled and conducted interviews, assist with post-production, and review transcripts. Once posted, interviews are available as both streaming video files and lightly edited transcripts.

Interview format

Prior to 2020, most interviews were typically conducted one-on-one in an informal and comfortable setting, often the home of the interviewee. More recent interviews have been conducted on the Stanford campus, often the Green Library. Interviews start with a bit of family and personal history, educational background, and then dive a range of relevant topics relating to the subject's historical contributions to the semiconductor or related industry.

Individual interviews

SubjectYearAffiliationsInterviewer
Amelio, Gil 2000 Bell Labs, National, Apple Rob Walker
Balletto, Jack [9] 2012 Lockheed, Western Microwave, GME, Fairchild, Ricoh, Synertek, VLSI Rob Walker
Beyer, Richard M. 2018 National, VLSI Technology, Intersil, SIA, Freescale (Motorola)Robert N. Blair
Blair, Robert N.2011 Marconi, SGS-Fairchild, Fairchild, LSI Logic, Crosspoint, Monterey DesignRob Walker
Bourgoin, John2023 Motorola, AMD, Silicon Graphics, MIPS Laila Razouk
Brokaw, Paul 2006 Analog Devices Rob Walker
Brooks, Don2000 Texas Instruments, Fairchild, TSMC, UMC Rob Walker
Burkett, Marvin2023 AMD, Nvidia Laila Razouk
Carter, Dennis2004 Rockwell, Intel Rob Walker
Chang, Morris 2007 Sylvania, Texas Instruments, TSMC, SEMI Anon CHM
Corrigan, Wilfred 1998 Motorola, Fairchild, LSI Logic Rob Walker
Cotter, Ruth2023 AMD Laila Razouk
Darringer, John A.2017 Philips, IBM Robert N. Blair
Davidow, William (Bill) H.2016 General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Signetics, Intel, Mohr Davidow VenturesRobert N. Blair
de Geus, Aart 2016 General Electric, Synopsis Robert N. Blair
der Torossian, Papken2018 Hewlett-Packard, Spectra Physics, Plantronics, ECS Microsystems, SVGRobert N. Blair
DeWolf, Nick2005 General Electric, Transitron, Texas Instruments, Teradyne Craig Addison
Dickson, John2016 Plessy, Texas Instruments, ICL, Headland Technologies, AT&T, Lucent, LSI Logic Robert N. Blair
Diller, James2017 Transitron, Fairchild, National, PMC Sierra Robert N. Blair
Downey, James1995 General Electric, Fairchild, AMD, Read/Write, DasTechRob Walker
Doyle, Norman Patrick2018 Fairchild, Altera Robert N. Blair, Geri Hadley
East, John2008 Fairchild, AMD, Actel Rob Walker
Faggin, Federico 1995 Olivetti, Fairchild, Intel, Zilog, Cygnet, Synaptics Rob Walker
Federman, Irwin2015 Monolithic Memories (MMI), AMD, USVP, SIARobert N. Blair
Fullagar, David2018 Ferranti, Transitron, Fairchild, Intersil, Maxim Robert N. Blair
Gallagher, David2005GCA, SEMI Craig Addison
Gallagher, Ted2005Tegal, Matrix Integrated Systems, Motorola, SEMI Craig Addison
Gifford, Jack 2002 Fairchild, AMD, Maxim Rob Walker
Gray, Paul1998 UC Berkeley, Fairchild R&DRob Walker
Hailey, Kim & Shawn1997Meta SoftwareRob Walker
Hadley, Geri2019 Fairchild, VLSI Technology, LSI Logic David Laws, Robert N. Blair
Halla, Brian2006 Control Data, Intel, LSI Logic, National Rob Walker
Harrel, Sam2004 Texas Instruments, Computervision, Micronix, KLA Tencor, SEMI-SEMATECHCraig Addison
Hartman, Robert2018 Standard Oil, Rockwell, Electronic Arrays, Fairchild, Signetics, Source III, Altera Robert N. Blair
Hennessy, John 2005 Stanford, MIPS, Stanford Rob Walker
Hiveley, Jim2017 Motorola, Fairchild, Texas Instruments, RCA, Monolithic Memories, LSI Logic Robert N. Blair
Hodgson, Richard1995 Fairchild, Intel Rob Walker
Hogan, C. Lester [10] 1995 Bell Labs, Motorola, Fairchild Rob Walker
Hoff, Marcian "Ted" 1995 Intel, Atari, TekliconRob Walker
House, Dave 2005 Raytheon, Honeywell, Motorola, Intel, Bay Networks, Nortel Rob Walker
Huang, Jen-Hsun 2010 AMD, LSI Logic, Nvidia Rob Walker
Lam, David2007 Texas Instruments, Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Lam Research Craig Addison
Last, Jay T. 2007 Shockley Labs, Fairchild Craig Addison
Laws, David2013 Fairchild, AMD, Altera Robert N. Blair
Kawanishi, Tsuyoshi2011 Toshiba Semiconductor, SMIC Rob Walker
Kesting, Curt2006 Fairchild, ST Microelectronics Horst Sandfort (in German)
Koford, Jim1999 IBM, Fairchild, Monterey Design SystemsRob Walker
Kvamme, Floyd 2013 Fairchild, National, Apple, Kleiner-Perkins Robert N. Blair
Markkula, Mike 2014 Fairchild, Intel, Apple, Echelon Robert N. Blair
Martinotti, Piero2013SGS-Fairchild, Motorola, Weber Carburetor, SGS, ST SemiconductorRobert N. Blair
Malone, Joe2023 Fairchild David Laws
Marren, Bernie2008Avco, Fairchild, Western Micro, AMI, SIA, OPTiRob Walker
Mazor, Stan 2000 Fairchild, Intel, Silicon CompilersRob Walker
McCranie, Dan2016 General Dynamics, Signetics, Harris, SEEQ, Cypress, Actel Robert N. Blair
McCullough, Jack1990Eitel-McCullough, IncAnon
McKenna, Regis 1995General Microelectronics, National, Regis McKenna, IncRob Walker
McNeilly, Michael2004 Union Carbide, Apogee Chemicals, Applied Materials, SEMI Craig Addison
Mensch, William 1995 Motorola, Philco-Ford, MOS Technology, Commodore Computer Rob Walker
Moore, Gordon [11] 1995 Shockley Labs, Fairchild, Intel Rob Walker
Morgan, Jim2004 Textron, Applied Materials Rob Walker
Newhagen, Paul2019 Raychem, Fairchild, Source III, Altera David Laws, Laila Razouk
Pausa, Clements E.2017 Fairchild, National Robert N. Blair
Palmer, Robert B. 2004 Texas Instruments, Mostek, Digital Equipment Corporation Craig Addison
Parker, Gerry2003 Mobil Oil, Hewlett-Packard, Fairchild, Intel Rob Walker
Pierce, John1995 Bell Labs, Caltech, Stanford Rob Walker
Pistorio, Pasquale 2011 SGS, ST Microelectronics Rob Walker
Razouk, Leila2022 AMD David Laws
Rhines, Waldon 2015 Texas Instruments, Mentor Graphics Robert N. Blair
Rock, Arthur 2002Venture CapitalRob Walker
Rogers, T. J. 2013 AMI, AMD, Cypress Robert N. Blair
Rotsky, George1995JournalistRob Walker
Sanders, W. Jerry 2002 Douglas Aircraft, Motorola, Fairchild, AMD Rob Walker
Sandfort, Horst G.2007Litronix, Fairchild, LSI Logic, IntellonRob Walker
Scalise, George2003 Motorola, Fairchild, AMD, Apple, Semiconductor Industry Association Rob Walker
Schütze, Dr. Hans J.2006 Texas Instruments EuropeHorst Sandfort (in German)
Segal, Ed2004 Applied Materials, Transpacific, Metron, SEMI Craig Addison
Sello, Harry1995 Shockley Labs, Fairchild, SGSRob Walker
Skurko, Robert2017 Fairchild Robert N. Blair
Sonsini, Larry 2003Davis and Rock, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Rob Walker
Sopkin, Elliot2013 Fairchild, AMD Geri Hadley
Sporck, Charlie 2000 General Electric, Fairchild, National Rob Walker
Sprague, Peter2012 National, Sprague Industries, Aston Martin Lagonda Robert N. Blair
Strata, Ray2006 Analog Devices Rob Walker
Swanson, Bob2006 Transitron, Fairchild, National, Linear Technology Rob Walker
Tedlow, Richard S.2008 Harvard Business School (discusses IBM, DEC, Intel, AMD,..)Rob Walker
Valentine, Don 2004 Fairchild, National, Sequoia Capital Rob Walker
Harold, Vitale2009 Fairchild, Genrad, LTX/Trillium, CredenceRob Walker
Vonderschmitt, Bernard [12] 1995 RCA, Zilog, Xilinx Rob Walker
Walker, Rob1998 Ford Aerospace, Fairchild, Intel, LSI Logic, Silicon Genesis ProjectSusan Ayers Walker
Weinig, Sheldon2006Materials Research CorporationCraig Addison
Wells, George2010ITT, Fairchild, LSI Logic, Exar Rob Walker
Wetlessen, Gunnar2018 AMI, Synertek, VLSI Technology Robert N. Blair
Wolken, Peter2007 RCA, Beckman Instruments, General Electric, Computervision, SEMI Craig Addison
Yawata, Keisuke (KK)2007 NEC, LSI Logic, Applied Materials Rob Walker
Yoshida, Shoichiro2004 Nikon, SEMI Craig Addison
Yu, Albert2005 Fairchild, Intel Rob Walker
Zelencik, Steve [13] 2013 Amphenol, Fairchild, AMD Robert N. Blair
Zetes, Arthur2017Clevite Semiconductor, Fairchild, Rheem, Lockheed Robert N. Blair

Group interviews

SubjectsYearAffiliationsInterviewer
Steve Allen, Lawrence Bender, Richard Steinheimer1995 Fairchild, National, Leapfrog Rob Walker
Robert Ulrickson, John Nichols1995 Fairchild Rob Walker
Bob Dobbins, Jim Williams2006 Linear Technology Rob Walker
Martin Cooper, Arlene Harris 2007 Motorola, Dyna, GreatCall Rob Walker

Panel and special interest videos

TitleYear PostedNotes
George Rotsky - Journalist1995 Electronic Design, EDN, EE Times
The Fairchild Chronicles [14] [15] 2005A nearly three hour documentary on the history of Fairchild Semiconductor
Silicon Genesis Europe - Roundtable2006Six European semi executives. Recorded @ Electronica. In German
Rob Walker standup2006Outtakes from Silicon Genesis interviews
Fairchild 50th Anniversary Panel2007 Julius Blank, Jay Last, Gordon Moore, and Arthur Rock. Audio only. Hosted by John Hennessy. Moderated by Leslie Berlin

Highlighted collections

The Stanford Library highlights individual interviews that are grouped together according to an area of interest. As of summer 2023, there were three featured collections: SEMI Interviews which bring the contributors of SEMI (Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International) into focus, Fairchild Semiconductor History, and Silicon Genesis Europe.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Noyce</span> American physicist and entrepreneur (1927–1990)

Robert Norton Noyce, nicknamed "the Mayor of Silicon Valley", was an American physicist and entrepreneur who co-founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957 and Intel Corporation in 1968. He was also credited with the realization of the first monolithic integrated circuit or microchip, which fueled the personal computer revolution and gave Silicon Valley its name.

National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer which specialized in analog devices and subsystems, formerly with headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company produced power management integrated circuits, display drivers, audio and operational amplifiers, communication interface products and data conversion solutions. National's key markets included wireless handsets, displays and a variety of broad electronics markets, including medical, automotive, industrial and test and measurement applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fairchild Semiconductor</span> American integrated circuit manufacturer

Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. was an American semiconductor company based in San Jose, California. It was founded in 1957 as a division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument by the "traitorous eight" who defected from Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory. It became a pioneer in the manufacturing of transistors and of integrated circuits. Schlumberger bought the firm in 1979 and sold it to National Semiconductor in 1987; Fairchild was spun off as an independent company again in 1997. In September 2016, Fairchild was acquired by ON Semiconductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Moore</span> American businessman (1929–2023)

Gordon Earle Moore was an American businessman, engineer, and the co-founder and emeritus chairman of Intel Corporation. He proposed Moore's law which makes the observation that the number of transistors in an integrated circuit (IC) doubles about every two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federico Faggin</span> Physicist, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur

Federico Faggin is an Italian-American physicist, engineer, inventor and entrepreneur. He is best known for designing the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004. He led the 4004 (MCS-4) project and the design group during the first five years of Intel's microprocessor effort. Faggin also created, while working at Fairchild Semiconductor in 1968, the self-aligned MOS (metal-oxide-semiconductor) silicon-gate technology (SGT), which made possible MOS semiconductor memory chips, CCD image sensors, and the microprocessor. After the 4004, he led development of the Intel 8008 and 8080, using his SGT methodology for random logic chip design, which was essential to the creation of early Intel microprocessors. He was co-founder and CEO of Zilog, the first company solely dedicated to microprocessors, and led the development of the Zilog Z80 and Z8 processors. He was later the co-founder and CEO of Cygnet Technologies, and then Synaptics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traitorous eight</span> Group of Shockley Semiconductor employees who left to found Fairchild Semiconductor

The traitorous eight was a group of eight employees who left Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory in 1957 to found Fairchild Semiconductor. William Shockley had in 1956 recruited a group of young Ph.D. graduates with the goal to develop and produce new semiconductor devices. While Shockley had received a Nobel Prize in Physics and was an experienced researcher and teacher, his management of the group was authoritarian and unpopular. This was accentuated by Shockley's research focus not proving fruitful. After the demand for Shockley to be replaced was rebuffed, the eight left to form their own company.

Clarence Lester Hogan was an American physicist and a pioneer in microwave and semiconductor technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masatoshi Shima</span> Japanese electronics engineer

Masatoshi Shima is a Japanese electronics engineer. He was one of the architects of the world's first microprocessor, the Intel 4004. In 1968, Shima worked for Busicom in Japan, and did the logic design for a specialized CPU to be translated into three-chip custom chips. In 1969, he worked with Intel's Ted Hoff and Stanley Mazor to reduce the three-chip Busicom proposal into a one-chip architecture. In 1970, that architecture was transformed into a silicon chip, the Intel 4004, by Federico Faggin, with Shima's assistance in logic design.

Jay Taylor Last was an American physicist, silicon pioneer, and member of the so-called "traitorous eight" that founded Silicon Valley.

Julius Blank was an American semiconductor pioneer. A member of the traitorous eight, he left Nobel-winning physicist William Shockley's company to form Fairchild Semiconductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arthur Rock</span> American businessman and venture capitalist

Arthur Rock is an American businessman and investor. Based in Silicon Valley, California, he was an early investor in major firms including Intel, Apple, Scientific Data Systems and Teledyne.

VLSI Technology, Inc., was an American company that designed and manufactured custom and semi-custom integrated circuits (ICs). The company was based in Silicon Valley, with headquarters at 1109 McKay Drive in San Jose. Along with LSI Logic, VLSI Technology defined the leading edge of the application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) business, which accelerated the push of powerful embedded systems into affordable products.

Electronic News was a publication that covered the electronics industry, from semiconductor equipment and materials to military/aerospace electronics to supercomputers. It was originally a weekly trade newspaper, which covered all aspects of the electronics industry, including semiconductors, computers, software, communications, space and television electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Widlar</span> American electronics engineer (1937–1991)

Robert John Widlar was an American electronics engineer and a designer of linear integrated circuits (ICs).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Synertek</span>

Synertek, Inc. was an American semiconductor manufacturer founded in 1973. The initial staff consisted of Bob Schreiner, Dan Floyd, Jack Balletto, and Gunnar Wetlesen and Zvi Grinfas. Schreiner, Floyd, Balletto and Wetlesen were all formerly of Fairchild Semiconductor, and Synertek is thus one of the many "Fairchildren". The company became a major vendor during the late 1970s and early 1980s on the strength of their licensed production of the MOS 6502, one of the most successful microprocessors of the era. Synertek won supply deals with Apple Computer and Atari, who would produce millions of home computer and games consoles with Synertek 6502's inside.

Wilfred J. Corrigan is a British engineer and entrepreneur, known for founding and running LSI Logic Corp. He was the chairman and chief executive of LSI for over two decades until 2005, during the earlier part of which he made vital contributions to the company. He was the founder and served twice as chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Wilf is a veteran of Fairchild Semiconductor.

<i>Microprocessor Chronicles</i> Documentary film about Silicon Valley

The Microprocessor Chronicles is a documentary by filmmaker Rob Walker. Walker, who cofounded LSI Logic, created the film to document the growth and history of Silicon Valley. The work includes interviews with persons famous among notables in the microprocessor world. It discusses technical evolution of the microprocessor and marketing of devices.

Edwin James Turney is best known as one of the founders of Advanced Micro Devices serving as the Vice President of Sales and Administration from 1969 to 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie L. Vadász</span> Hungarian engineer

Leslie L. Vadász is a Hungarian-American engineer and manager, one of the founding members of Intel Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LSI Corporation</span> American company

LSI Logic Corporation, was an American company founded in Santa Clara, California, was a pioneer in the ASIC and EDA industries. It evolved over time to design and sell semiconductors and software that accelerated storage and networking in data centers, mobile networks and client computing.

References

  1. University, © Stanford; Stanford; California 94305. "Silicon Genesis". Spotlight at Stanford. Retrieved 2023-06-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. "Transistorized! Web Site References". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  3. "ASIC Pioneer, Tech Historian Rob Walker Dies". EE Times. 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  4. "Silicon Valley Archives". library.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  5. Cassel, David (2019-05-05). "Silicon Genesis: Stanford's Oral Histories of the Semiconductor Industry". The New Stack. Retrieved 2023-08-03.
  6. "Silicon Genesis oral history interviews". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  7. Walker, Rob (1992). Silicon Destiny: The Story of Application Specific Integrated Circuits and LSI Logic Corporation. Walker Research Associates. ISBN   978-0-9632654-0-1.
  8. "Silicon genesis : oral history interviews of Silicon Valley scientists, 1995-2010". researchworks.oclc.org. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  9. "EAB Profiles - School of Engineering - Santa Clara University". www.scu.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  10. Martin, Douglas (2008-08-16). "C. Lester Hogan, Physicist Who Fought Motorola, Dies at 88". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-10-10.
  11. Noble, Holcomb B.; Hafner, Katie (2023-03-25). "Gordon E. Moore, Intel Co-Founder Behind Moore's Law, Dies at 94". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
  12. Markoff, John (2004-06-19). "Bernard Vonderschmitt, 80, Semiconductor Designer, Dies (Published 2004)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  13. "Stephen J. Zelencik". College of Engineering - Purdue University. Retrieved 2023-08-13.
  14. "Fairchild, the Fairchild chronicles | WorldCat.org". www.worldcat.org. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
  15. Cassidy, Mike (2005-03-07). "Silicon Valley view: Film on firm that started digital world". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2023-10-08.