
But Robert Noyce, then at Fairchild, came along soon afterwards with a planar integrated circuit that became the basis for the industry — Kilby's design never made a dent commercially. Kilby did, however, win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000, after Noyce had died. In a gesture of solidarity, Kilby invited Gordon Moore to join him at the Nobel ceremonies.
The photo shows the Fairchild 2N1613. It came out in 1960 and was the first commercial planar transistor.
Credit: Courtesy of Jack Ward and the Transistor Museum







