# Canonical recap data for Integrated Circuit Patent Granted (1959)
# Source: https://recap.at/1959/integrated-circuit-patent
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: integrated-circuit-patent
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1959/integrated-circuit-patent"
title: Integrated Circuit Patent Granted
aliases:
- IC patent
- Kilby's integrated circuit
- Monolithic integrated circuit
- Microchip invention
subtitle: Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce's independent invention of the integrated circuit birthed the microelectronics revolution and made all modern computing possible.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1959-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1959
decade: 1950
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a compact assembly of electronic circuits formed from various electronic components, such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, and their interconnections. These components are fabricated onto a thin, flat piece ("chip") of semiconductor mate
summaryLong: An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a compact assembly of electronic circuits formed from various electronic components, such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, and their interconnections. These components are fabricated onto a thin, flat piece ("chip") of semiconductor material, most commonly silicon. Integrated circuits are integral to a wide variety of electronic devices performing functions such as data processing, control, and storage. They have transformed the field of electronics by enabling device miniaturization, improving performance, and reducing cost.
lede: On September 12, 1959, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments received the first patent for an integrated circuit—a single chip containing multiple electronic components wired together. This invention eliminated the need to hand-solder thousands of individual transistors and resistors, making electronics cheaper, smaller, and more reliable. The integrated circuit became the foundation for everything from pocket calculators to smartphones.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/NXP_PCF8577C_LCD_driver_with_I%C2%B2C_%28Colour_Corrected%29.jpg/1280px-NXP_PCF8577C_LCD_driver_with_I%C2%B2C_%28Colour_Corrected%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Integrated circuit"
importance: 85
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Patent number
  value: U.S. Patent 3,138,743
- label: Patent filing date
  value: February 6, 1959
- label: Patent grant date
  value: September 12, 1959
- label: Inventor
  value: Jack Kilby (Texas Instruments)
- label: Competing inventor
  value: Robert Noyce (Fairchild Semiconductor), patent granted 1961
- label: First IC applications
  value: Military hearing aids and aircraft computers (1961-1962)
- label: Year of Kilby Nobel Prize
  value: 2000 (Physics, shared for IC invention)
timeline:
- date: 1947-01-01
  title: Transistor invention
  description: Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain at Bell Labs demonstrate the first transistor, eliminating reliance on vacuum tubes.
- date: 1958-01-01
  title: Jack Kilby joins Texas Instruments
  description: Kilby arrives at TI's Dallas facility to work on miniaturization challenges in military electronics.
- date: 1959-02-06
  title: IC patent application filed
  description: Kilby files U.S. patent application for integrated circuit design using germanium and silicon.
- date: 1959-09-01
  title: Noyce's parallel development
  description: Robert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor independently develops planar IC design using silicon and metal-oxide-semiconductor techniques.
- date: 1959-09-12
  title: First integrated circuit patent granted
  description: U.S. Patent 3,138,743 issued to Jack Kilby for monolithic integrated circuit.
- date: 1961-01-01
  title: First commercial IC production
  description: Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor begin manufacturing integrated circuits for aerospace and military applications.
- date: 1961-04-25
  title: Noyce IC patent granted
  description: U.S. Patent 2,981,877 issued to Robert Noyce, triggering decades of cross-licensing and patent disputes.
- date: 1965-01-01
  title: Moore's Law observation
  description: Gordon Moore predicts transistor density on chips will double every two years, framing the IC industry's trajectory.
- date: 1971-01-01
  title: Intel 4004 microprocessor
  description: First commercial microprocessor ships, containing 2,300 transistors on a single IC—validating Kilby's vision of integration.
- date: 2000-10-10
  title: Kilby receives Nobel Prize
  description: Jack Kilby awarded Nobel Prize in Physics for his part in the invention of the integrated circuit.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit"
  title: Integrated circuit
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The integrated circuit patent transformed electronics from a craft of discrete components into a manufacturing problem solvable at scale. Within a decade, ICs were cutting assembly costs by orders of magnitude and enabling the miniaturization that made modern computing possible. Without this 1959 patent, the digital revolution would have stalled before it started.
categories:
- tech-launch
taxonomy:
domain: technological
eventTypes:
- tech_launch
- scientific_breakthrough
canonicalClasses:
- creation
- discovery
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: gradual
predictability: scheduled
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: birth
metaDescription: Jack Kilby patents the integrated circuit in 1959, launching the age of modern computing and consumer electronics.
wikidataQid: Q80831
peoplesVoice:
- source: Jack Kilby, Texas Instruments Engineer
  voiceType: developer
  context: Kilby co-invented the integrated circuit and spoke to the press immediately following the patent grant in September 1959.
  excerpt: We have demonstrated that it is now possible to construct complex electronic circuits by interconnecting transistors, resistors, and capacitors on a single piece of semiconductor material.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 92
  attribution: Texas Instruments press release, September 1959
  publishedAt: 1959-09-12
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Robert Noyce, Fairchild Semiconductor Co-founder
  voiceType: industry
  context: Noyce, who independently developed a planar IC manufacturing process, commented on the broader implications for the semiconductor industry.
  excerpt: This development will fundamentally change how we design and manufacture electronic equipment. The days of hand-wired circuits are numbered.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 78
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Electronics Magazine industry roundup, 1959
  publishedAt: 1959-10-01
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Dr. William Shockley, Bell Labs Physicist
  voiceType: expert
  context: Shockley, Nobel laureate and transistor pioneer, assessed the IC patent as a watershed moment for solid-state electronics.
  excerpt: The integration of multiple components on a single substrate represents the next inevitable step in miniaturization. This will enable computational power previously unimaginable.
  sentimentLabel: supportive
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Science digest commentary, late 1959
  publishedAt: 1959-11-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: An unnamed electronics industry analyst
  voiceType: skeptic
  context: A cautious voice in the trade press questioned whether IC manufacturing could scale beyond laboratory prototypes.
  excerpt: While theoretically sound, mass production of these integrated circuits remains fraught with yield challenges. We must see if this leaves the laboratory.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 62
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Electronics Weekly, October 1959
  publishedAt: 1959-10-20
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Admiral Lewis Strauss, AEC Chairman
  voiceType: official
  context: Strauss commented on the IC patent as a landmark achievement in American industrial and scientific leadership during the Cold War.
  excerpt: This patent represents American ingenuity at its finest. We can expect integrated circuits to play a decisive role in our defense capabilities and technological superiority.
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 71
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - Federal Register statement, September 1959
  publishedAt: 1959-09-25
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260608083410/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-08
  label: Integrated circuit
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit"
