Compared with the situation immediately preceding the Second World War, the overall picture by 1945 was that of much greater diversification. Highly specialised, costly devices, capable of generating extremely high powers, existed at one end of the spectrum, and mass-produced low-cost miniature receiving valves at the other. It was in the latter area that semiconductor diodes had established themselves at the expense of the thermionic valve, as a detector of microwave frequencies. Later developments, involving the transistor, have since almost entirely replaced the vacuum tube as a low-power, low cost mass produced device. It has not however been possible to replace the specialised high-power high-frequency transmitting devices, such as the klystron, magnetron and travelling-wave tube by any solid-state equivalent.

The development of the transistor may be conveniently considered to have occurred in two phases. Firstly, the decade 1952-1962 encompassed the period from the invention of the grown junction transistor to the advent of the planar process and was one of rapid technical transition. During this time, a wide variety of methods of construction followed each other in rapid succession. Furthermore, improvements in import ant electrical parameters such as reverse junction breakdown voltage, frequency response and power handling capacity established the transistor as a viable alternative to the thermionic valve, which, in spite of further miniaturisation, began to be replaced over an increasingly wide range of applications. A fundamentally important development which occurred was the replacement of germanium by silicon as the basic semiconductor material for device manufacture. This change was made principally because of the ability of silicon to operate over a much wider temperature range, this factor being of particular interest to the military. The introduction of the planar transistor towards the end of the decade gave a further stimulus to the use of silicon. This was because the planar process could not be adapted to the fabrication of germanium devices. The second phase began with the development of planar technology which established the basis for the development and manufacture of the integrated circuit, and already by the latter period of the decade was being used for the construction of both bipolar and field-effect transistors. It was at the end of this period, therefore, that the basic technology was developed upon which subsequent improvements in semiconductor manufacture have been made. What follows is an account of the major advances in device technology, starting with the grown junction transistor and leading to the development of the silicon integrated circuit. Next, a brief survey outlines further developments which have arisen as a consequence of the impact of the integrated circuit. The three final sections of this chapter consider the evolution of the small signal semiconductor diode, the power rectifier and the thyristor.

This chapter first carries out a general review of the major factors affecting the growth of the United States semiconductor industry, and then proceeds to consider its more specific aspects. This has been done by dividing the material into a number of sections, each reviewing a particular characteristic of the industry's development. One important aspect, exhibiting strong distinguishing features when compared with parallel developments in Europe and Japan, is the way in which individual manufacturing companies have developed within the industry. Further sections in this chapter deal with structural, technical, social and geographical aspects of the industry. The object of this approach is to highlight factors peculiar to the US semiconductor industry in order to facilitate a comparison with the parallel growth of the semiconductor industry taking place in other countries. Finally, in view of the outstanding success of Texas Instruments Inc as the major producer of semiconductor devices over three decades, a brief historical survey of this company is included, in order to highlight possible factors contributing to its success.

This review of the major European national states shows that, compared with the situation in the USA and Japan, the developing Western European semiconductor industry has suffered significant disadvantages, namely a general lack of cohesion, each government pursuing a separate strategy with no attempt being made to work to a co-ordinated plan. Financial institutions have, in varying degrees, proved inadequate in providing sufficient financial support to enable a healthy industry to develop. The general weakness of the Western European semiconductor industry has been accentuated by strong foreign penetration of the home market, and this situation has been assisted by lack of a common response from Western European governments. With research and development facilities often underfunded and with relatively small investment within the important area of production development, a significant technical lag has remained a constant factor throughout the history of the industry. Like its Western European counterpart, the semiconductor industry in Eastern Europe is relatively weak when compared with that of the USA and Japan, although for different reasons. Confronted with a strategic trade embargo, and denied the dubious benefits of foreign economic penetration, a consistent technical lag has also been present, in spite of an early beginning in device manufacture. Owing to lack of information regarding funding of the Eastern European industry, it is impossible to assess the effect this factor may have had upon its development.

This glossary is not intended to be comprehensive, but only to explain those terms commonly used when discussing the technology of semiconductors.

This appendix shows a graph of a typical semiconductor product cycle.