Comments by "M Simon" (@msimon6808) on "How Japan Learned Semiconductors" video.

  1. IC bonding was generally not to a board. It was to a lead frame (pronounced "leed" ) i.e. a chip package. 14 and 16 pin DIPs (Dual Inline Packages) were quite popular. Surface mount was starting to show up, but the parts were too small to handle. These days I'm fond of SOT23s (vs TOs) and the TSSOP (vs DIP) form factor. But I have to wear a magnifying glass to build anything.
    2
  2. Japanese quality control was legendary. It was invented by Americans but adopted wholesale by the Japanese. It was reshored by studying how Japan did it. I was reading all the books in the "QC" era.
    2
  3. "Transistor sister " a song from 1961. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YApsD4WJuU
    1
  4. In '67 the Raytheon fabs were not always in clean rooms. I was working on TTL for the FAA inter-route computer - to keep track of flights between airports. The fab was right across the room in a glassed in enclosure.
    1