{
  "patent_number": "US 2981877",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Robert Noyce Invented the Modern Integrated Circuit",
  "original_title": "Semiconductor device-and-lead structure",
  "summary": "Robert Noyce's 1959 patent for a semiconductor device that uses evaporated metal leads to connect components directly on a single silicon chip.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes the planar process, a method for creating integrated circuits by layering materials on a silicon wafer. Instead of using fragile wires to connect individual transistors, the invention uses a thin, evaporated metal film deposited directly onto the silicon surface. This creates a reliable, permanent electrical connection between components on the same chip. It effectively allowed engineers to mass-produce complex electronic circuits as a single, solid piece of material.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover the invention of the transistor itself.",
    "Does not cover non-planar methods of manufacturing semiconductors.",
    "Does not cover the specific chemical doping recipes used to create the P-N junctions.",
    "Does not cover discrete components that are not integrated onto a single substrate."
  ],
  "filed": "1959-07-30",
  "granted": "1961-04-25",
  "expires": "1979-07-30",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Fairchild Semiconductor Corp",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/fairchild-semiconductor-corp",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Robert N Noyce",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/robert-n-noyce"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 165,
  "tags": [
    "semiconductors",
    "consumer_electronics"
  ],
  "abstract": null,
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2981877/noyce-planar-integrated-circuit",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/2981877/noyce-planar-integrated-circuit/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US2981877",
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}