The integrated circuit was invented in 1958 and 1959 by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce. Before the integrated circuit was created, computers used single transistors and before transistors vacuum tubes were used. However, vacuum tubes were inefficient as they gave off so much heat and used enormous amounts of energy which is why the invention of transistors, which used semiconductors, was a breakthrough in the technology. Transistors are used on integrated circuits and scientists have been able to increase the amount that can fit on a circuit in record numbers. Gordon Moore, a cofounder of Intel, noticed a trend of the capacity of each new chip that was created compared to its predecessor. He found that the size nearly doubled every two years and this still holds true for today. Below is a graph showing the transistor count vs. the year the transistor was introduced and we can see that every year the count increases in a linear fashion.
This is actually amazing because not only is the count of transistors increasing the chips themselves are decreasing in size. This is the result of new materials being used such as silicon and graphene. The amount of transistors that can fit on a single chip is somewhere between 2.5 billion to 3 billion, however if Moore’s law continues to hold true, which history shows that it has, this number is expected to increase in years to come. The progression of technology is really incredible as computers have gone from the size of a large room to the size of a notebook. As long as scientists continue to strive for newer technology then the possibilities are endless.