Nobel Prize winners. Architects of Silicon Valley. Trailblazing companies. And countless teams of innovative engineers. These are some of the major figures and players who have played a key role in the history of semiconductors through to the present day. This first episode of the Semiconductor 101 series explores the “who’s who” in the world of semiconductors, covering everything from the inventor of the first semiconductor device to today’s major consumers of semiconductor memory.
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Who were the inventors of the first semiconductor device and semiconductor memory product?
First Semiconductor Device
While there are differing accounts on the inventor of the first semiconductor device, German physicist Karl Ferdinand Braun invented what is widely considered to be the first-ever semiconductor diode1 in 1874. When he probed a lead sulfide crystal with the point of a thin metal wire, Braun found that current flowed freely in only one direction. Through this experiment, he discovered the rectification2 effect at the point of contact between metals and certain crystal materials. Braun would have to wait until the advent of radio in the early 1900s to see the first practical application of his device, as it was then used as a signal detector in a basic radio set.
First Transistor
Around 70 years later, a landmark breakthrough in semiconductor history occurred at U.S. industrial research company Bell Labs. Under the supervision of William Bradford Shockley, scientists John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain invented the world’s first transistor3, known as the point-contact transistor, in 1947. They would later go on to receive the 1956 Nobel Prize in Physics for this invention which welcomed in a new era for electronics.
First Semiconductor Memory Product
In the mid-20th century, the first prototypes of semiconductor memory emerged that allowed computers to store data. In 1963, the American engineer Robert H. Norman invented the integrated bipolar static random access memory (SRAM)4. Three years later, IBM’s Robert Heath Dennard invented the world’s first dynamic random access memory (DRAM)5 which led to Intel’s development of a 1-kilobit (125 bytes) DRAM chip in 1970.
(From left) Scientists John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain, inventors of the first transistor, at Bell Labs in 1948 (Source: AT&T)
Who are the most influential figures in the history of the semiconductor industry?
Numerous figures have contributed to the development of the semiconductor industry, but one of the most notable names to stand out from the list is Gordon Moore. A pioneer in silicon chips and transistors, Moore predicted in 1975 that the number of transistors on a microchip would double approximately every two years. Dubbed Moore’s Law, the forecast remains a guiding principle for the industry as manufacturers continually innovate to miniaturize transistors for ever-smaller chips. Moore is also renowned for co-founding Fairchild Semiconductors and Intel, laying the foundations for the world‘s technology epicenter, Silicon Valley.
The integrated circuit was invented by Jack Kilby in 1958 (Credit: Texas Instruments, Source: National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution)
Another key figure to have changed the course of semiconductor history is American electrical engineer Jack Kilby. In 1958, Kilby demonstrated that many transistors, resistors, and capacitors could be grouped on a single board of semiconductor material when he invented the integrated circuit (IC). His revolutionary invention during his time at semiconductor company Texas Instruments has become a foundational component in today’s computers and other electronic equipment. In recognition of his work in inventing the IC, Kilby received the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Additionally, the Korean-American inventor Dawon Kahng developed the first practical field-effect transistor, a device that controls electronic signals. While his invention was not immediately embraced upon its unveiling in 1960, it has become one of the most widely-used integrated circuits. Today, it is better known as the MOSFET6.
Gordon Moore, Jack Kilby, and Dawon Kahng are among the most notable names in semiconductor history
Who works at semiconductor companies?
Measuring just nanometers (one billionth of a meter), semiconductors are applied to the most advanced electronic systems. So, who are the people with the capabilities to make these highly intricate and complex devices? Perhaps unsurprisingly, the majority of employees at semiconductor companies are engineers who work on different stages of production. Let’s take SK hynix as an example.
Design & R&D
Design engineers oversee the analog and digital design of semiconductors, including the circuit design and digital intellectual property (IP) of the microchips. As their title suggests, R&D process engineers research and develop materials and the numerous processes that are required to manufacture semiconductors.
Production, Packaging & Testing
Package and test engineers optimize the packaging process and test for defects in products. There are also engineers specifically assigned to manage the mass production and quality assurance of products to ensure a smooth manufacturing process. Furthermore, application engineers raise the standard of products by evaluating them when they are applied to customer systems such as computers, mobile phones, and graphic cards.
Non-Engineering Roles
Apart from engineers, there are a number of other roles at semiconductor companies. These include positions related to sales and marketing, sustainability, technology certification, finance, and safety.
Engineers account for the majority of roles at semiconductor memory companies
Who are the major companies in the semiconductor supply chain?
Today, there are several semiconductor companies responsible for different aspects of the chip development process. In terms of foundries7, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is a global logic foundry which operates large-scale fabrication plants, or fabs, with the capacity to produce millions of wafers per year.
There are also fabless companies such as NVIDIA and Qualcomm which do not manufacture their own physical chips and, instead, focus on chip design and innovation, while outsourcing their manufacturing to specialized foundries. Others take on smaller pieces of the supply chain puzzle such as outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) companies that specialize in providing third-party packaging and testing services for semiconductor manufacturers. Some notable OSAT companies include ASE Technology Holding and Amkor Technology.
Cadence and Synopsys are electronic design automation (EDA) companies that provide software tools, techniques, and methodologies for designing key components such as integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. Finally, semiconductor equipment manufacturers such as Applied Materials, Lam Research, Tokyo Electron, and ASML design, produce, and sell machinery and tools required for the fabrication and testing of semiconductor devices.
As for SK hynix, it is classed as an integrated device manufacturer (IDM) that is capable of handling both the design and production of chips at its in-house facilities. This integrated approach has played a major role in the company establishing itself as a leading provider of advanced DRAM solutions, such as the leading AI memory HBM8, and NAND flash9.
A network of companies make up the global semiconductor supply chain
Who are the major consumers of semiconductor (memory)?
A glance at the world’s major semiconductor buyers shows that while global tech companies such as Apple, Dell, Sony, and Lenovo top the list, there are also a significant number of major PC and smartphone original equipment manufacturers (OEM). These OEMs require microprocessors, memory chips, and various other types of semiconductors for their devices to handle the immense storage and processing demands.
In addition, telecommunications companies use semiconductor chips in a variety of equipment and devices to facilitate data encoding, encryption, transmission, and more. The automotive industry is also increasingly using next-generation chips for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in autonomous vehicles, enabling collision avoidance, parking assistance, and other driver aids. Moreover, manufacturers of home appliance such as refrigerators and air conditioners use different chips for temperature control, timers, automated features, and so on.
Finally, semiconductor memory products are a key component for AI applications such as ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, and Microsoft Copilot. They enable the storage and quick retrieval of datasets, allowing AI systems to efficiently process data. Furthermore, SK hynix’s lineup of high-performance memory solutions are ideal for AI training and inference10 as they can rapidly access and handle data. Companies that provide AI applications and services also manage data centers that contain thousands of servers packed with CPUs11 and GPUs12, so DRAM memory chips and solid-state drives (SSD)13 are needed to process the immense amount of data.
The electronics, AI, telecommunications, and automotive industries are among the main consumers of semiconductors
1Semiconductor diode: A simple electronic component that conducts electricity in one direction.
2Rectification: The conversion of an alternating current to a direct current.
3Transistor: A semiconductor device that regulates current or voltage flow and acts as a switch or gate for electronic signals.
4Static random access memory (SRAM): Volatile memory that holds memory permanently as long as power is supplied. Unlike DRAM, it does not have to be refreshed periodically to keep storing data.
5Dynamic random access memory (DRAM): Volatile memory that needs to be refreshed periodically to maintain stored data. Like SRAM, it loses stored data when the power supply is removed.
6Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET): An active semiconductor device in which a conducting channel is induced in the region between two electrodes by a voltage applied to an insulated electrode on the surface of the region.
7Foundry: Companies that manufacture semiconductor products as a service. They do not design chips like fabless companies.
8High Bandwidth Memory (HBM): A high-value, high-performance product that revolutionizes data processing speeds by connecting multiple DRAM chips with through-silicon via (TSV).
9NAND flash memory: A type of non-volatile storage technology that does not require power to retain data.
10AI inference: The process of running live data through a trained AI model to make a prediction or solve a task.
11Central processing unit (CPU): A hardware component that’s the core computational unit in a server.
12Graphics processing unit (GPU): A computer chip that renders computer graphics and images by performing mathematical calculations.
13Solid-state drive (SSD): A non-volatile storage device used in computers that stores persistent data on solid-state flash memory.
Having looked at “who” is important in the semiconductor industry, the next episode will ask “what” is crucial in the world of semiconductors.
<Other articles from this series>
[Semiconductor 101] SK hynix Explains “What’s What” in the Semiconductor World
[Semiconductor 101] When Semiconductors & SK hynix Made Their Mark on the World
