Third Generation

Background
Though transistors were miniscule in comparison to vacuum tubes, the engineers designed more and more complex circuits containing hundreds or thousands of components such as transistors, diodes, and capictors. These components were hand-soldered together with wires. This was not only time-consuming but unreliable as well. Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce, independently developed the integrated circuit (IC) where the components and connections were edged directly onto the semi-conductor material.

Jack St. Clair Kilby
In 1958 Jack Kilby began working for Texas Instruments (TI). As a new employee, he had no vacation time saved up yet, and it is during this quiet summer time that he built the first integrated circuit, and demonstrated it in September. The advantages of an IC was not immediately obvious, and Kilby was given the task to design a hand held calculator to demonstrate the use of integrated circuits. In 2000 Kilby was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work.

Robert Noyce
Robert Noyce joined Shockley's Laboratories in 1956. When eight employees unable to deal with Shockley's temperament left Shockley's labarotories, Noyce was among the eight and was selected their leader. Together they founded Fairchild Semiconductors, where Noyce built the first IC at the same time as Kilby. In 1868 Noyce co-founded Intel together with Gorden Moore.

Parallels
Both men have buildings named after them: The Kilby Center at TI, and the Noyce Computer Center at Intel's headquarter.