In this biography
Quick facts
- Born
- 8 November 1923
- Died
- 20 June 2005
- Birthplace
- Jefferson City, Missouri, United States
- Country
- United States
- Nationality
- Not independently established
- Known for
- Integrated-circuit researcher.
- Education
- Electrical engineering
Why this life matters
His work linked semiconductor integration with systems, portable products, independent energy research and engineering education.
Timeline
Key moments
Texas Instruments
Joined the company.
Teaching
Texas A&M appointment.
Physics Nobel
Integrated circuits.
Learning to miniaturise
Kilby studied electrical engineering at Illinois and worked at Centralab before joining Texas Instruments in 1958. His early career crossed practical manufacturing and experimental design: making smaller electronics required decisions about materials, assembly and the functions a component had to perform.
He also earned a Wisconsin master's degree in 1950.
Components in one material
His circuit patent describes resistors and transistors within semiconductor material, connected to perform a circuit function.
In his autobiographical account, Kilby credits teams with developing integrated-circuit military systems, a computer, the handheld calculator and a thermal printer. A laboratory demonstration and a manufacturable product were different engineering achievements.
Beyond the first circuit
Kilby took leave from TI in 1970 for independent work, including solar-energy applications. He also taught at Texas A&M from 1978 to 1984. His career therefore continued through systems, energy research and education rather than ending with a single prototype.
Sources for this section: [2]
An inventor whose papers extend beyond patents
The Library of Congress chronology records the 2000 physics Nobel and his death in Dallas in 2005. Its collection chiefly documents later consulting projects alongside material on his original circuit work.
The enduring technical question is how a function moves from a collection of separate parts into a designed structure. The companion study follows one resistor rather than treating every modern chip as a direct copy of an early circuit.
Sources for this section: [1]
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions about Jack Kilby
- Did the work continue beyond early circuits?
- Yes, including teaching and energy research.
Keep exploring
Lives connected to this story
- Robert Noyce
Compare semiconductor integration and manufacturing.
- John Bardeen
Follow the component research that preceded integrated circuits.
Sources and further reading
Explore the evidence
These references support the biography and offer further reading. Official records, first-person accounts and independent reporting provide different perspectives; image records document attribution and licensing.
- 1. Library of CongressJack S. Kilby Papers: biographical note
- 2. Jack Kilby / Nobel FoundationJack Kilby: autobiographical account
Reading scope: retained indexed autobiographical passages on TI, collaborative products, independent work and teaching; not the complete Nobel text.
- 3. Jack S. Kilby / United States patent record, Google Patents transcriptionUS 3138743 A: Miniaturized electronic circuits
- 4. James Kloeppel / University of Illinois News Bureau,4 April 2001Nobel laureate Jack Kilby to be honored April 18
