Which invention led to third generation of computer?

Answer 1

The Third Generation of Computers was known as Integrated Circuits. IC's was created by Mr. Jack S. Kilby. At this period of time, transistors where shrunk into smaller ones and where placed in a silicon chip. Also, a more efficient way of user input has been created. Keyboards and monitors have been used instead of punch cards and vacuum tubes.

Answer 2

Some of the most well known are:

• IBM System/360 (used custom hybrid ICs called SLTs, not monolithic ICs)
• IBM 1130 (used custom hybrid ICs called SLTs, not monolithic ICs)
• DEC PDP-8
• DEC PDP-11
• DEC VAX
• Data General Nova
• Data General Eclipse
• UNIVAC 1106
• UNIVAC 1108
• UNIVAC 1110
• Apollo Guidance Computer
• Minuteman II Guidance Computer
• ILLIAC IV
• Cray-1
• Cray-2
• Cray-3
• etc.

Answer 3

The integrated circuit.

Hybrid integrated circuits (originally using vacuum tubes) had been developed on the US Military Project Tinkertoy in 1953 (later reorganized as the Micromodule Program). By the 1960s these hybrid integrated circuits began to use transistor chips as the quality and performance of transistors improved.

Jack Kilby working at Texas Instruments invented the first monolithic integrated circuit in mid 1958 (his inspiration was the Micromodule Program which Texas Instruments was working on at the time). However it was made of germanium and the individual components on the chip still had to be wired together by hand under a microscope.

Robert Noyce working at Fairchild invented a monolithic integrated circuit using Fairchild's new planar processfor making silicon transistors in early 1959. The planar process allowed the connections between the individual components on the chip to be integrated on the chip too.

Various third generation computer projects started in the early 1960s chose either monolithic or hybrid integrated circuits:

• Minuteman II guidance computer, monolithic integrated circuits for small size and weight
• Apollo guidance computer, monolithic integrated circuits for small size and weight
• IBM System/360, hybrid integrated circuits, for reliability and low cost (IBM considered monolithic integrated circuits to be too new and untried, while hybrid integrated circuits were older and more stable technology)
• DEC PDP-6, early models used a mixture of discrete transistors and hybrid integrated circuits containing diodes. Due to reliability problems caused by defective ultrasonic welds in the hybrid integrated circuits, DEC reverted in later models to all discrete components (which ultimately resulted in the PDP-6 actually being a second generation computer, even though as originally designed it was intended to be a third generation computer)
• etc.

A military avionics CRT display unit that I worked on from 1978 to 1986 used a mixture of monolithic integrated circuits, hybrid integrated circuits (containing monolithic integrated circuits), and discrete transistors. This unit contained 8 custom designed computers (6 digital and 2 hybrid).

Answer 4

Generally, the second generation of computers is considered to be the use of transistors rather than vacuum tubes. See the related links for more detail.

Answer 5

integrated circuits