Allen, Steven, 1967-

Biography / Administrative History

In 1957, New York based Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation made a historic business decision when they sponsored the formation of Fairchild Semiconductor in Palo Alto, California. A group of eight scientists and engineers involved in solid-state electronics had developed a method of mass-producing silicon transistors using a double diffusion technique and a chemical etching system called the "mesa" process. Fairchild provided the necessary backing for the group's project and the development and production of silicon diffused transistors and other semiconductor devices began. The eight scientists and engineers were Julius Blank, Victor Grinich, Jean Hoerni, Eugene Kleiner, Jay Last, Gordon Moore, Robert Noyce, and Sheldon Roberts.

Fairchild Semiconductor became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation in 1959 and in 1961 became the Semiconductor Division. In 1959, Fairchild announced the development of the patented Planar process for semiconductor device manufacturing. The Planar process paved the way for such technological advances as the integrated circuit. In 1961 Fairchild introduced the world's first monolithic integrated circuit and in 1971 the isoplanar process for semiconductor manufacturing.

In 1968 the company's corporate headquarters were moved from Syosset, New York to Mountain View, California. In 1979 Schlumberger Limited purchased Fairchild Semiconductor as a diversification move, but sold the assets to National Semiconductor Corporation (NSC) in 1987. In 1997 NSC divested a number of former Fairchild mature product lines in a leveraged buy-out to executives based at Fairchild's former South Portland, Maine facility and the "new" Fairchild Semiconductor became a publicly traded company once again.

In early 1962 Richard Steinheimer was hired to start a photography department at Fairchild Semiconductor in Mountain View, California. Steinheimer hired Steve Allen (1938- ) in 1966 as a photographer. Graphic Art and Photography was a division of Marketing Services, which also included Advertising, Public Relations, and Reproduction and Distribution. Though the work at Fairchild Semiconductor was industrial, the photographers were encouraged to be creative and develop themselves as artists. When NSC bought the company the attitude toward creative staff shifted. The philosophy of NSC was not to have artists, photographers, and art directors on staff. About 1990, NSC sold Allen his equipment and made him a contract photographer. Allen continued in that capacity until about 1997.

From the guide to the Guide to the Steve Allen photographs of Fairchild Semiconductor, 1926-1997, 1962-1979, (Computer History Museum)