Fairchild Micrologic - The World's First Integrated Circuits

Fairchild Micrologic Devices

Fairchild introduced the Micrologic standard logic family in 1961. These were the world's first ICs, based on Jean Hoerni's revolutionary planar process which laid the blueprint for all future integrated circuits. There were eventually 25 standard logic RTL ICs. Products in the family included the 900, a buffer, 901, a 3 gate counter adapter, the 902, a flip-flop, 923, a JK flip flop and the 959, a 4bit latch.

Above is a  3-input NOR device from the early 60s (uL903) in a metal can, and a later packaged JK flip flop (uL923) in a lower cost epoxy topped package. During the 1960s, Fairchild became the first semiconductor company to establish a lower cost assembly facility in the Far East (Hong Kong).

Decapped uL903 Micrologic Device

The 3-input NOR from Fairchild became the basic building block of the Apollo guidance computer, designed by MIT and built by Raytheon. It used 5,000 3-input NOR ICs and was the first major application of ICs.

Fairchild uL903 Micrologic IC Detail

Above you can see close-up detail from a uL903 3-input NOR RTL (DCTL) integrated circuit showing two of the three transistors in the circuit. The collector contact is at the top of the picture with the emitter then base contacts underneath.

uL903 Die Photo

In this complete die photo it's only the silicon substrate and the Al/Si metallization that's visible. In the centre of the the die are the three transistors described earlier.

The continued push on photo-reduced structure size using Jean Hoerni's planar process would drive the semiconductor industry to create unparalleled cultural change and wealth, and the modern world.