The AM Forum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkRwArnc1k&t=1263

I came across a very interesting video on how the Japanese electronics industry started. Some of their manufacturing techniques are almost comical. Find the time and check this out – a very informative piece of video.

I thought the Russians invented the transistor! Just ask Mr. Chekhov!

I thought I invented the transistor  just ask me.

according to Harbaugh .... traveling nuns .... "Watch your step coming off the train sister"

Thanks for the link to that intersting video.
The Japanese did not have much to go on at that time so they did what they could to get a start in semiconductors. In the U.S., on the other hand, we had scientists (particularly at W.E. and Bell) who had rigorous academic backgrounds in the physics of semiconductor theory and methods of production. As we have seen, those conditions evolved to where we are today: the U.S. out of business with consumer electronics products but maintaing a diminishing lead in limited areas of advanced semiconductor design and production methods. Not funny.

Bob - NE

Are there any chip foundries left in the USA?

BTW, the original poster did not claim that the Japanese created the transistor.   ;)

Inel comes to mind, for one. Also IBM and several smaller manufacturers are still strong in the U.S. In addition, some large foreign companies operate foundaries in some regions of the U.S. to take advantage of availability of skilled technical personnel and excellent schools of higher learning.
We haven't rolled over yet!

NE

Intel set up a fab plant on Garden of the Gods Road in Colorado Springs, CO, across the street from the HP -> Agilent Technologies plant where I was working back in 2000.  I was surprised to see they closed it down and sold the facility in November 2009.  The facility produced memory and interface chips, as well as the Centrino line of processors.

There are still foundries in the US. I was surprised by just how many chip foundries there are in the world. I guess the world needs a lot of chips.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconductor_fabrication_plants

There have been/are a number of foundries in the northern Philadelphia suburbs.  Philco Corporation had one at their plant in the Horsham/Willow Grove area in the early 70’s which became Allegro/Sprague.  I don’t know if it is in operation today.  In Montgomeryville there was a company in the 70’s called Solid State Scientific which I believe started by making the first CMOS digital watch chips.  They were also making bipolar rf power transistors being bought by the company I worked at the time, Narco Avionics.  That facility may have been taken over by a transistor production line there up to recently at least, their name escapes me at the moment, won’t take the time to research .  Also in the same Montgomeryville area is a small company making infrared camera sensors.

Of course just north of Philadelphia in Allentown there is the Bell Labs foundry, became Lucent, now something else?  West of Allentown is a big foundry, changed names once at least, in operation.  As a result, there a quite a number of ASIC design groups in Fort Washington, Sellersville and Allentown areas that I know of.
 
So, these places can be very small and unassuming facilities today.  One new microwave amplifier foundry I learned of very recently is in Alburtis by Macungie, west of Allentown also.

There are a lot of electronics companies in the Boston area; the main i.c. leader there I think of is Analog Devices.  I presume they have some fabs there.

The Wikipedia link listed by Steve mentions Austin Texas and I also think of Colorado and the Phoenix Az area – Motorola and On Semi; I’ve been to the On plant.

And there used to be MSC? in Somerville NJ.  Again I don't know what is going on there now.

Semantics – fabs – foundry? Definition?

I wonder how up to date that list is. I do see some 10 and 14u USA fabs on there, so those are likely still running.

intel still has a third party foundry in newark del.   did some work for them last month

Foundries... we are surrounded by them in the Boston area. They are making MMICs rather than large scale integrated circuits.

Mark WA1QHQ

Mergers and acquisitions are happening so fast it is hard to keep up. The oldest FAB in the world, was Fairchild in Portland, Me. They are now On Semi. In the same city was National Semi, which is now Texas Instruments. I have been going up to those fabs on occasion since 1983. It is funny how those two fabs recycle the same people back an forth. Larry NE1S retired from Fairchild.

The IBM fab in Fishkill, NY was given (not sold) to Global Foundries, and GF is a spin off from AMD when they went fabless. There is a huge GF complex in Burlington, Vt.

I work for a chip making company called Axcelis that is based in Beverly, Mass. and work in a remote office in Austin, Texas. This past week and next I will be working at NXP in Austin. NXP was Freescale, and before that was Motorola. In a few months, or early next year they will become Qualcom. Hard to keep up! NXP is a spin off from Phillips..

Back in the 1980's the Japanese were dominant in the semiconductor field. That is when the consortium called Semitech was started. I worked there too. Device line widths were over 0.3 micron (> 300 nm), and today we are quickly going down below 20nm, I hear that 7nm is not far off. A micron is a millionth of a meter.

Jim
Wd5JKO