The role of Fairchild in silicon technology in the early days of “Silicon Valley”

Fairchild Semiconductor was founded in 1957 by a group originating from Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the first organization attempting to exploit silicon transistor technology in the region at the base of the San Francisco peninsula now often referred to as “Silicon Valley”. Fairchild produced the first commercial silicon mesa transistors and invented the “planar” process that formed the basis of practical integrated circuits. Several of the key directions in silicon device technology originated at Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation and its successor organization, the Semiconductor Division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation. This paper describes the author´s recollections of some of the related events