Computer in the Microcircuit Design Room

This article from the March 23, 1964 issue of Electronics details a program at the Norden division of United Aircraft Corp. that applies computer techniques to integrated circuit design. The research aims to reduce the time-consuming processes of circuit analysis and mask layout by replacing manual breadboarding and design with computer-assisted topological layout. The process involves feeding a circuit design into a computer to perform analysis, followed by an automated approach to constructing a mask layout, which can then be refined by an engineer using a light-pen on a cathode-ray tube display. Norden believes this approach demonstrates the practicality of automated design for microcircuit manufacturing.