Semiconductor History

Burr-Brown Research Corporation introduced the first solid state modular op amp in 1962. It was a circuit board based device with discrete transistors, resistors, capacitors etc in a fully tested potted module. The 1510 example potted module op amp in the image is date coded 1971.  Fairchild Semiconductor had introduced monolithic bipolar op amps in the 1960s but they were low performance.  There was no ability to trim parameters on-chip, but within the Burr-Brown modules it was possible.  It wasn't until the likes of Burr-Brown and Precision Monolithics developed on-chip thin film laser trimming that precision analog ICs were introduced. The Burr-Brown OPA134 OpAmp on top for size comparison is from 1996.

Double diffused base silicon mesa transistor 2N697, Fairchild's first product was launched commercially at the Wescon show in August 1958. Fairchild's first product was a commercial success due to its benefits over other transistors on the market. IBM were Fairchild's first customer, using the 2N697 as a ferrite core memory driver on the XB-70 avionics contract. IBM paid $150 per transistor for the first order, 30 times the industry price. The Fairchild 2N697 was silicon, hence it had high temperature benefits over germanium and had lower power dissipation than other silicon equivalents, due to Fairchild's diffusion process. Fairchild Semiconductor (in the late 50s and 60s) were one of the most innovative and influential companies in semiconductor history, developing the planar process and the first integrated circuits.