Wikipedia

Jack Kilby

Jack St. Clair Kilby (November 8, 1923 – June 20, 2005) was an American electrical engineer who took part, along with Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor, in the realization of the first integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments in 1958.[1]: 22  For this invention, Kilby shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.[2]

Jack Kilby
Kilby, early 1960s
Born
Jack St. Clair Kilby

(1923-11-08)November 8, 1923
Jefferson City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 20, 2005(2005-06-20) (aged 81)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Education
Known forInvention of the integrated circuit
Spouse
Barbara Annegers
​
(m. 1948)​
Children2
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsElectrical engineering
InstitutionsTexas Instruments

Kilby was also a co-inventor of the handheld calculator and the thermal printer, for which he had the patents. He also had patents for seven other inventions.[3]

Early life and education

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Jack St. Clair Kilby was born on November 8, 1923, in Jefferson City, Missouri.[4] He was raised in Great Bend, Kansas, where his father ran a small electric company that served customers in rural western Kansas. While in high school, a huge ice storm knocked down most of the poles that carried the telephone and electric power lines. His father's company had to use amateur radio operators for communication in the areas where customers had lost their power and phone service. This event sparked his interest in electronics.[5]

After serving in the U.S. Army as an electronics technician during World War II, Kilby began studying electrical engineering at the University of Illinois, graduating with a B.S. in 1947. He then joined the Centralab Division of Globe Union, Inc., an electronics manufacturer in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While working in Milwaukee, Kilby continued his education at the Milwaukee State Teachers College (now the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee), where he obtained an M.S. in 1950.[4]

Invention of the integrated circuit

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Kilby's original integrated circuit, 1958.

Kilby was vital to the invention of the integrated circuit. In mid-1958, as a newly employed engineer at Texas Instruments (TI), he did not yet have the right to a summer vacation. Kilby spent the summer working on the problem in circuit design that was commonly called the "tyranny of numbers," and he finally came to the conclusion that the manufacturing of circuit components en masse in a single piece of semiconductor material could provide a solution. On September 12, he presented his findings to company's management, which included Mark Shepherd. He showed them a piece of germanium with an oscilloscope attached, pressed a switch, and the oscilloscope showed a continuous sine wave, proving that his integrated circuit worked, and thus that he had solved the problem.[6] U.S. Patent 3,138,743 for "Miniaturized electronic circuits," the first integrated circuit, was filed on February 6, 1959.[7] It was notable for having different components (transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, etc.) on one single substrate.[1]: 22  Along with Robert Noyce (who independently made a similar circuit a few months later), Kilby is generally credited as co-inventor of the integrated circuit.

Later career

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Kilby went on to pioneer military, industrial, and commercial applications of microchip technology. He headed teams that created the first military system and the first computer incorporating integrated circuits. He invented the handheld calculator (along with Jerry Merryman and James Van Tassel[8]).

In 1970, Kilby took a leave of absence from TI to work as an independent inventor. He explored, among other subjects, the use of silicon technology for generating electrical power from sunlight. From 1978 to 1984, he held the position of Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering at Texas A&M University.

Kilby retired from Texas Instruments in 1983.

Family

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In 1948, Kilby married Barbara Annegers. They had two daughters, Ann and Janet.[9]

Death and legacy

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Kilby died of cancer on June 20, 2005, in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 81.[10]

On December 14, 2005, Texas Instruments created the Historic TI Archives. The Jack Kilby family donated his personal manuscripts and his personal photograph collection to Southern Methodist University (SMU). The collection will be cataloged and stored at DeGolyer Library, SMU.

In 2008, the SMU School of Engineering, with the DeGolyer Library and the Library of Congress, hosted a year-long celebration of the 50th anniversary of the birth of the digital age with Kilby's Nobel Prize-winning invention of the integrated circuit. Symposia and exhibits examined the many ways in which technology and engineers shaped the modern world. Kilby held an honorary doctorate of science from SMU and was a longtime associate of SMU through the Kilby Foundation.

Recognition

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Awards

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Year Organization Award Citation Ref.
1966 United States Franklin Institute Stuart Ballantine Medal[a] "For the development of monolithic integrated circuits (microchips)." [11]
1966 United States IEEE IEEE David Sarnoff Award "For his outstanding creative contribution in the field of monolithic integrated circuits, for his key inventions and for his team leadership in the application of integrated circuits to large scale systems." [12]
1978 United States IEEE IEEE Cledo Brunetti Award[a] "For contributions to miniaturization through inventions and the development of integrated circuits." [13]
1982 United States ASME Holley Medal — [14]
1986 United States IEEE IEEE Medal of Honor "For fundamental contributions to semiconductor integrated circuit technology." [15]
1989 United States ASME Holley Medal[b] — [14]
1989 United States National Academy of Engineering Charles Stark Draper Prize[a] "For their independent development of the monolithic integrated circuit." [16]
1990 United States ASME Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award — [17]
1993 United States IEEE Computer Society Computer Pioneer Award "For co-inventing the integrated circuit." [18]
1993 Japan Inamori Foundation Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology "Creation of the Concept of the Monolithic Semiconductor Integrated Circuit and Its Demonstration." [19]
1999 United States Western Society of Engineers Washington Award "For his distinguished electronics career, including the invention of the monolithic integrated circuit which was the foundation for modern electrics." [20]
2000 Sweden Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Nobel Prize in Physics[c] "For his part in the invention of the integrated circuit." [2]
2000 United States University of Pennsylvania Harold Pender Award "For his contribution to the invention of the integrated circuit, or microchip." [21]

Memberships

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Year Organization Type Ref.
1967 United States National Academy of Engineering Member [22]
2001 United States American Philosophical Society Member [23]

National awards

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Year Head of state Award Citation Ref.
1969 United States Richard Nixon National Medal of Science "For original conceptions and valuable contributions in the production and application of integrated circuits." [24]
1990 United States George H. W. Bush National Medal of Technology and Innovation "For original conceptions and valuable contributions in the production and application of integrated circuits." [25]

Honorary degrees

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Commemoration

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The Kilby Award Foundation was founded in 1980 in his honor, and the IEEE Jack S. Kilby Signal Processing Medal was created in 1995.

The Kilby Labs, TI's research laboratory for silicon manufacturing and integrated circuit design, is named after him.

The Jack Kilby Computer Centre at the Merchiston Campus of Edinburgh Napier University in Edinburgh is also named in his honor.[30]

A statue of Jack Kilby stands in Texas Instruments Plaza on the campus of The University of Texas at Dallas.[31]

Barton Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, holds an annual Jack Kilby STEM Day. [32]

See also

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Notes

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  1. 1 2 3 Shared with Robert Noyce.
  2. ↑ Shared with Jerry Merryman and James H. Van Tassel.
  3. ↑ Shared with Zhores Alferov and Herbert Kroemer.

References

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  1. 1 2 Harper, Charles A., ed. (2004). Electronic materials and processes handbook. McGraw-Hill handbooks (3 ed.). McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780071402149.
  2. 1 2 "Nobel Prize in Physics 2000". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on October 21, 2008. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
  3. ↑ "The Chip that Jack Built". IT Invention. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "Jack Kilby". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on April 7, 2026. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Jack Kilby – Biographical". Nobel Foundation. Archived from the original on April 27, 2026. Retrieved June 28, 2026.
  6. ↑ Das, Saswato R. (September 19, 2008). "Opinion: The chip that changed the world". The New York Times.
  7. ↑ US patent 3138743, Jack S Kilby, "Miniaturized electronic circuits", issued June 23, 1964, assigned to Texas Instruments Inc
  8. ↑ Stengle, Jamie (March 7, 2019). "Jerry Merryman, co-inventor of handheld electronic calculator, dies at 86". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Jack S. Kilby". American Institute of Physics. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  10. ↑ John Markoff (June 22, 2005). "Jack S. Kilby, an Inventor of the Microchip, Is Dead at 81". New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Jack S. Kilby". Franklin Institute. Archived from the original on March 29, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  12. ↑ "IEEE David Sarnoff Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  13. ↑ "IEEE Cledo Brunetti Award Recipients" (PDF). IEEE. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 4, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "Holley Medal". www.asme.org. Archived from the original on August 14, 2025. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Jack St. Clair Kilby". Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Archived from the original on December 1, 2023. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  16. ↑ "1989 Winners: Jack S. Kilby and Robert N. Noyce". draperprize.org. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Robert Henry Thurston Lecture Award". American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Jack S. Kilby". www.computer.org. Archived from the original on September 16, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Jack St. Clair Kilby". www.kyotoprize.org. Archived from the original on February 5, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Recipients". www.washingtonaward.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2025. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  21. ↑ "The Harold Pender Award Lecture". University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on August 15, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Mr. Jack S. Kilby". www.nae.edu. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  23. ↑ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Jack St. Clair Kilby". nationalmedals.org. Archived from the original on September 15, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  25. ↑ "Jack St. Clair Kilby". nationalmedals.org. Archived from the original on November 10, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Jack S. Kilby". grainger.illinois.edu. Archived from the original on September 9, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Honorary Degree Recipients". secfac.wisc.edu. Archived from the original on November 16, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Jack St. Clair Kilby". s3.smu.edu. Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Honorary Degrees Since 1702". Yale University. Retrieved February 15, 2026.
  30. ↑ "School of Computing – Facilities & Resources". Edinburgh Napier University. Archived from the original on June 25, 2013. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  31. ↑ "What's the Story? The TI Plaza Statue". UT Dallas Magazine. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  32. ↑ "21st Annual Jack Kilby STEM Day". Barton Community College. Retrieved July 7, 2026.

References bibliography

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  • Berlin, Leslie The man behind the microchip: Robert Noyce and the invention of Silicon Valley Publisher Oxford University Press US, 2005 ISBN 0-19-516343-5
  • Lécuyer, Christophe. Making Silicon Valley: Innovation and the Growth of High Tech, 1930-1970 Published by MIT Press, 2006.ISBN 0262122812
  • Nobel lectures, World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, 2000.
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  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Jack Kilby at Wikimedia Commons
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