Classification: / Company Info,
Info: PHILCO is a fascinating case because it was a major electronics pioneer that never became a lasting semiconductor giant.
By the late 1960s, it was producing MSI (Medium Scale Integration) logic devices,
but its semiconductor business was overshadowed by companies like TEXAS INSTRUMENTS, FAIRCHILD, MOTOROLA, SIGNETICS and later INTEL.
PHILCO (originally Philadelphia Storage Battery Company) began in 1892 making batteries,
then became famous for radios, televisions, and military electronics.
During the 1950s it was also one of the world's most advanced transistor manufacturers.
Its biggest semiconductor breakthrough came in 1953 with the surface-barrier transistor,
one of the fastest transistors of its day.
These devices made PHILCO a preferred supplier for military computers, aircraft electronics and early transistorized computers.
Before integrated circuits existed, PHILCO was already building high-speed computers such as the TRANSAC: S2000, which used tens of thousands of discrete transistors.
In 1961, FORD Motor Company acquired PHILCO, creating PHILCO-FORD.
Unlike FAIRCHILD or TI, PHILCO was not an inventor of the integrated circuit, but it became an important manufacturer once planar IC technology matured.
One of PHILCO's most significant IC achievements was manufacturing logic ICs for the APOLLO Guidance Computer (AGC).
The AGC used roughly 4.000 identical RTL NOR-gate ICs.
While FAIRCHILD developed the original logic family, production was shared among manufacturers including RAYTHEON and PHILCO-FORD, helping meet NASA's enormous demand.
The APOLLO program dramatically reduced IC costs and accelerated the industry's growth.
An especially interesting chapter came in 1966, when PHILCO-FORD acquired GENERAL MICRO ELECTRONICS (GMe).
GMe had pioneered commercial MOS integrated circuits and was among the first companies to manufacture MOS logic devices.
Through this acquisition, Philco gained expertise in MOS technology well before it became dominant.
Unfortunately, the business struggled commercially, and PHILCO eventually shut down the operation.