General Micro-electronics (GMe) was an American
semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...
company in the 1960s. It was formed by three former members of
Fairchild Semiconductor
Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. was an American semiconductor company based in San Jose, California. Founded in 1957 as a division of Fairchild Camera and Instrument, it became a pioneer in the manufacturing of transistors and of int ...
, and is thus one of the "Fairchildren". It was acquired in 1966 by
Philco-Ford
Philco (an acronym for Philadelphia Battery Company) is an American electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchased by Ford and, from 19 ...
and became their Microelectronics Division.
With
Frank Wanlass Frank Marion Wanlass (May 17, 1933 in Thatcher, AZ – September 9, 2010 in Santa Clara, California) was an American electrical engineer. He is best known for inventing CMOS (complementary MOS) logic with Chih-Tang Sah in 1963. CMOS has since ...
as director of research and engineering, GMe was the first company to design, fabricate, and sell
MOS
MOS or Mos may refer to:
Technology
* MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), also known as the MOS transistor
* Mathematical Optimization Society
* Model output statistics, a weather-forecasting technique
* MOS (fil ...
integrated circuits
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tin ...
.
The first MOS chips were
small-scale integrated chips for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...
satellites.
In 1964, Wanlass demonstrated a single-chip 16-bit shift register he designed, with an incredible (for the time) 120 transistors on a single chip.
[
]
That same year, the company entered an agreement to convert a
Victor Comptometer tube-based
electronic calculator
An electronic calculator is typically a portable electronic device used to perform calculations, ranging from basic arithmetic to complex mathematics.
The first solid-state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s. Pocket-sized ...
to all-IC form, the
Victor 3900, with a planned introduction in early 1966. The task proved to be much more difficult than expected, and GMe was left almost insolvent. The company was purchased by
Philco-Ford
Philco (an acronym for Philadelphia Battery Company) is an American electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchased by Ford and, from 19 ...
, at which time Victor gave up on the product. They remarketed the system as the Philco 3900, but by the time it was ready for market less-expensive alternative had appeared.
Several members of the GMe team would go on to found
Electronic Arrays
Electronic Arrays, Inc. was a United States integrated circuit (IC) manufacturer of the 1960s and 70s. The company originated when Jim McMullen and other employees of General Microelectronics left to form McMullen Associates, which was later re ...
and produce a six-chip calculator system that was successful in the early 1970s.
References
Semiconductor devices
Defunct semiconductor companies of the United States
Electronics companies established in 1964
American companies established in 1964
Computer-related introductions in 1964
1966 mergers and acquisitions
{{electronics-stub