Fifty Years of Moore's Law

Abstract

The 1959 invention of the planar silicon transistor led to the development of the integrated circuit (IC) and the growth trend in IC complexity known as Moore's Law. While Moore's observation came in 1965, his original trend line showing a doubling of components per chip each year began with one component in 1959. Thus, we have now experienced 50 years of Moore's Law. This paper provides a history of Moore's Law through its many changes and reinterpretations, containing possibly a few new ones as well.