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3. Development at Research: THE RESEARCH PHASE OF IBM’S MOS PROGRAM, 1963 – 1967
- Johns Hopkins University Press
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79 THREE Development at Research T H E R E S E A R C H P H A S E O F IBM’s MOS P R O G R A M , 1 9 6 3 – 1 9 6 7 IBM Research’s managers had argued for conducting an MOS program that blurred the distinction between research and development, which was how the program was carried out at the working level. Research’s most important contribution was not its scientific skills but its role as an incubator for the nascent MOS technology. At a time when the immature MOS technology was no match for the bipolar technology then being mass-produced by IBM’s Components Division (CD), a group of scientists and engineers at Research became committed to MOS technology and displayed great flexibility in advancing its cause. The MOS transistor suffered from stability problems, which Research addressed not only through scientific research, but also by transferring technology from IBM’s production facility and by adding new technological capabilities of an engineering or empirical nature. At the same time Research searched for applications in which MOS technology might prove to be an effective competitor against bipolar technology. Because of its small scale and primary commitment to MOS technology, Research proved to be an efficient organization in searching for applications for MOS technology within IBM. It sought customers and was willing to reorient its program when the chances for success seemed greater in another area. In spite of Research’s efforts, it was extremely difficult 80 T O T H E D I G I TA L A G E TABLE 3.1 KEY MEMBERS OF THE RESEARCH LSI PROGRAM WITH PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITHIN IBM Year Joined IBM Discipline Degree Previous Experience D. Rosenheim 1951 EE M.S. 701, tunnel diodes S. Triebwasser 1952 Physics Ph.D. Electroluminescent photoconductors D. Seraphim 1957 Metallurgy Sc.D. Cryogenics G. Cheroff 1955 Physics B.S. Electroluminescent photoconductors A. Fowler 1958 Physics Ph.D. Cryogenics, thin-film transistors F. Fang 1960 Physics Ph.D. M. Smith 1952 EE M.S. NORC, microwave computers P. Balk 1959 Chemistry Ph.D. Electroluminescent photoconductors R. Dennard 1958 EE Ph.D. Tunnel diodes D. Critchlow 1958 EE Ph.D. Tunnel diodes F. Hochberg 1958 Technician None Cryogenics NOTE: EE = electrical engineering; LSI = large-scale integration; NORC = Naval Ordnance Research Calculator. SOURCES: (biographical information accompanying published articles) IBM Journal of Research and Development 8 (September 1964): 478–80 [Triebwasser, Seraphim, Cheroff, Fowler, Fang, Hochberg ]; IEEE Spectrum, May 1967, 40 [Smith]; Proceedings of the IEEE 57 (September 1969): 1647 [Balk]; IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices 31 (November 1984): 1674 [Dennard]; IBM Journal of Research and Development 25 (September 1981): 835 [Critchlow]; Don Rosenheim, interview by author, 4 January 1996; George Cheroff, interview by author, 21 August 1995. to establish the new technology within CD, and MOS technology moved into CD through the back door—a joint program that put very few demands on CD. A key factor in the establishment of this program was the advocacy of the corporate staff. The joint program was by no means a commitment to use MOS technology, but it kept the question open, allowing continuing advocacy and technical progress. At the time IBM’s Large Scale Integration (LSI) program started, IBM Research had technical staff members with international reputations in semiconductor physics, but they were not part of the program. These researchers by and large stayed in programs that were considered pure or basic research. Given the difficulties IBM had had in its previous solid-state applied research programs, it is not surprising that none of the LSI program members came into it with established reputations in either the company or the industry at large. The researchers who worked on IBM’s LSI program had much in common (table 3.1). Most had joined IBM in the buildup of personnel that had come with the establishment of a separate research organization within IBM in 1956 and had worked on one or more of Research’s failed programs. Some had worked on the [3.236.18.23] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 12:32 GMT) 81 Development at Research cryogenic computer, some on the microwave computer, others on the electroluminescent photoconductor program or tunnel diode program—all programs that had begun with a great deal of promise but that had ultimately failed to prove competitive against existing technologies. Most of the members of the LSI program were in their middle...