Introduction / Context:
Integrated circuits revolutionised electronics by shrinking multiple components into a single semiconductor die, enabling modern computers, phones, and embedded systems. Recognising the milestone decade helps anchor the evolution of microelectronics.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Question asks for the decade of the first successful demonstration, not mass commercialisation.
- Focus is on solid-state ICs, succeeding discrete transistor circuits.
Concept / Approach:
The first working solid-state integrated circuit was demonstrated in the late 1950s. Early breakthroughs included demonstration of an integrated circuit by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments in 1958, followed by Robert Noyce’s planar process advances at Fairchild in 1959, which paved the way for practical manufacturing in the 1960s. Thus, the correct decade of the initial demonstration is the 1950s.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify the event: first working IC demonstration.Recall the year: late 1950s (e.g., 1958–1959).Map the year to its decade.Select 1950s as the correct answer.
Verification / Alternative check:
Museum archives and corporate histories consistently cite 1958–1959 demonstrations as the starting point of the IC era, with mass production scaling in the 1960s.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
1960s/1970s/1980s: These decades saw scaling, commercialisation, and microprocessor evolution, but not the first demonstration.
Common Pitfalls:
Equating commercial availability with first demonstration; the earliest lab prototypes predate widespread manufacturing by a few years.
Final Answer:
1950s
Discussion & Comments