Jack Kilby
Electrical Engineer – Integrated Circuit Inventor
11/8/1923 – 6/30/2005
Key Achievement
Jack Kilby developed the first integrated circuit at Texas Instruments in 1958. He was awarded The Nobel Prize in Physics 2000 (1/2 share) “for his part in the invention of the integrated circuit.” He shared the prize with Zhores I. Alferov and Herbert Kroemer who where each awarded a 1/4 share “for developing semiconductor heterostructures used in high-speed and opto-electronics”Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor developed another type of integrated circuit shortly after Kilby’s invention. He is generally considered to be a co-inventor of the integrated circuit.Kilby also invented the handheld calculator and the thermal printer and received patents for dozens of other innovations. In addition to the Nobel Prize, Kilby received many other awards and honors.
Connection to Wisconsin
After his military service in World War II, Kilby earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Illinois. He earned his master of science in electrical engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee in 1950, while working at Centralab, a division of Globe-Union Corporation. He left Wisconsin in 1958 to work at Texas Instruments.
For additional information, visit:
Jack Kilby in Wikipedia
Jack Kilby’s Nobel Prize lecture
For additional information, visit:
Jack Kilby in Wikipedia
Jack Kilby’s Nobel Prize lecture