The VLSI Archive Spreadsheet
[V 3-02-21]
This spreadsheet lists the major files in the VLSI Archive down the left-most column, enabling an easy overview of the archive.
Each row across then links to detailed sections within those files, enabling easy access to specific items such as individual chapters, photos, etc.
For a general overview of the VLSI Revolution, read Lynn's "VLSI Reminiscences".
For reflective background context re the VLSI Revolution, read "The Many Shades of 'Out'", by Lynn Conway.
If you have ideas for things to add, please e-mail Lynn (click here).
If this sheet doesn't display well, click to download Excel version (best for printing).
[See also the status-sheet of items filed in 2008 at the Computer History Museum]
Overviews:
The VLSI Archive
The MPC Adventures HTML PDF PDF2
The Main Links Page HTML Advent Bkgd Book MIT78 InstG ImpG MPC79 files fotos ID79 ID80 EA SICs VDM
The Main Links Page (cont.) Conf Impsrv Univ DARPA Des Tools EDA FnSrv Meth Imp MCR SS
Links re Impact HTML MCI nrc DL ElecDes
VLSI Archive News&Updates HTML
1: Innovation and exploratory development of the Mead-Conway design methods:
Lynn's Early Work at IBM-ACS, 1964-68 A 2011 memoir of Lynn's early work at IBM-ACS, work that heavily influenced her later research in VLSI systems
Background and context HTML
Basic Limitations: 'ARPA report' PDF Front Frnt I II III IV V VI ApA ApB ApC ApD
Scientific American article PDF
More re backgrounds of Mead and Conway (TBD)
The 'Sutherland letter', 1-76 PDF
The Xerox PARC/Caltech collaboration HTML
The ICARUS interactive layout system VIDEO MCv2 C4 DAC78
Mead's LSI circuit design course, 7-76 PDF
The OM project at Caltech SciAM MCv2 C5
Innovation of VLSI system design methods DM
Invention of scalable design rules DR
Lynn's tutorials on the methods
The idea of doing "the book" WD BI SW
The OM2 rigorously applies the methods MCv2 C5
PARC MPC, 11-77
Mead-Conway Text HTML
draft 1 (10-77) PDF Front Ch1 Ch2 Ch3
draft 2 (2-78) PDF Front Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5
draft 3 (8-78) single-sided format PDF Front Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9
draft 3 (8-78) double-sided format PDF Front Ch1 Ch2 Ch3 Ch4 Ch5 Ch6 Ch7 Ch8 Ch9
Intro to VLSI Systems, A-W (9-79) prelim
Intro to VLSI Systems, A-W (11-79) 1st pr
Intro to VLSI Systems, A-W (10-80) 2nd pr Front
Color Plates Fcov FP 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Color Plates (cont.) 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 EP Bcov
French translation PDF Front Fore
Japanese translation PDF Front
Guide to LSI Implementation, 1st Ed PDF Front C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 AA AB AC AD AE AF
MIT'78 VLSI design course PDF Front S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7
Chip Photos (hi-res jpgs) C1 C2
Chip Photos (very hi-res) C1 C2
Instructors Guide PDF Front L1 L2 L3 L4 L5 L6 L7 L8 L9 L10 L11  
Instructors Guide (cont.) L12 L13 S1 L14 L15 L16 L17 S2 S3 L18 S4 LL
Guide to LSI Implementation, 2nd Ed PDF Front C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 AA AB AC AD AE
Intensive courses, summer '79 (TBD)
PARC Course, summer '79 (TBD)
The Instructor's Course, summer '79 (TBD)
MPC79 Overview
MPC79 Report, Lambda, 2Q81 PDF
MPC79 Files PDF Front AB S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12 S13 S14 S15
MPC79 messages/letters M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 U1 U2 M6 MF HPL GL KL
MPC79 team photo
MPC79 Impl. Doc. PDF Front S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7
Chip Photos (PDFs) PDF Front B C D E F G I J K L M N GE CH H            
Chip Photos (hi res jpgs)     B C D E F G I J K L M N GE CH H            
Designers and Projects Calt CMU MIT Stan UCB UI UR Oth
MPC580 Overview
MPC580 Impl. Doc. PDF Front S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6
Designers and Projects (TBD)
Electronics Magazine alerts industry PDF
The MPC Adventures (PARC Tech Report) PDF
2: Early propagation, adoption, leveraging and commercialization of the methods:
Short Intensive VLSI Design Courses
PARC courses Mead76 Parc77 Parc2-79
Courses by Carlo Sequin 1981 1983 1984
University-based short courses Instr79 MIT
Internal company courses HP DEC IBM
VLSI Technology, Inc. courses Front Broch9-81
Lambda-VLSI Design Magazine
Scans of covers and contents 1Q80 2Q80 4Q80 1Q81 2Q81 3Q81 4Q81 JF82 MA82 MJ82 JA82 SO82 ND82 JF83 MA83 MJ83
Doug Fairbairn's reflections (ext. link)
Full issues on MagCloud.com (ext. links) 1Q80
Universities
Early University Scene (Lambda) 1Q80 2Q80 4Q80 1Q81 MA82
'82-'83 VLSI Instructors PDF
The DARPA VLSI Program (TBD)
The early VLSI Conferences
Caltech, Jan 1979 Front Moore Mead
MIT, Jan 1980 Abstr MPC79
Caltech, Jan 1981 Front MPCAdv MOSIS
Edinburgh, Aug 81 Front Mead DesRul DSP MOSSIM
CMU, Oct 81 Front OpMouse RISC MIPS
MIT, Jan 1982 PList RISC Sc'me81 Seitz PixelPl
IEEE Spring CompCon, Feb 82 PList Conway MIPS RISC Seitz Lipman Eth'net Bell Wt'sen Caesar Panel
Caltech, Mar 83 Front MIPS Crystal
Early Classic VLSI Design Tools
Scalable Design Rules, Conway Retrosp3 MCv1 C2 Plate2 Plate3 MCtext L1Q80 L1Q81 SC1981 Edin81
ICARUS, Fairbairn & Rowson MCv2 C4 DAC78 79 Video
CIF2.0, Lyon and Sproull MCv2 C4 IGCh7
Silicon Compilation, Dave Johannsen CT79 DAC79
MOSSIM, Randy Bryant L1Q80 Thesis81 DAC81 Edin81 CTCS82
Des. Verification, Baker & Terman L4Q80 CB thesis CB remin CB notes CT thesis
CAESAR, John Ousterhout VD4Q81 CC82
CRYSTAL, John Ousterhout UCB-Link PDF83 CT83
MAGIC, John Ousterhout PDF12-83 V 7.5 DOCs Wiki
Early Classic VLSI Designs
OM2, Dave Johannsen, et al MCv2 C5 MCv3 C5
The Geometry Engine, James Clark L2Q80 C 7-80 L4Q80
RSA Cipher Chip, Ron Rivest, et al L4Q80
Scheme78, 79, 81, Steele, Sussman, et al MIT78 MIT80 AIM514 AIM514 AIM559 AIM559 MIT82
Bit-Serial DSP, Dick Lyon XP12-80 Edin81
Optical Mouse, Dick Lyon XP8-81 CMU81 VJF82 Layout82
Pixel-Planes, Henry Fuchs & John Poulton V3Q81
RISC, Dave Patterson, Carlo Sequin, et al ComArc81 V4Q81 CMU81 MIT82 CC82 VSO82
MIPS, John Hennessy, et al CMU81 CC82 CT83 MIPS
SPARC, Andreas Bechtolsheim NRC hist
Emergence of the VLSI EDA Industry (TBD)
CAE workstations VMA83
VLSI Technology
HP (internal)
Cadence
Valid Logic
Daisy
Mentor Graphics
3: Widespread diffusion of VLSI Implementation Services and 'Silicon Foundries':
The VLSI Implementation Services
U.S. MOSIS
Australia AusMPC CSIRO Inst Ws PR82 MC82 Bell82 EP82 Lip82 Photos VJF83
Germany E.I.S. Hart80 Hart12
France CMP
Nordic Countries Hist. Notes NORCHIP Courses History Conf.
U.K.
Europe EUROCHIP
The Emergence of "Silicon Foundries" (TBD)
Early overviews and status reports L1Q81 AWE81 VJA82 Intro Manuf QC Surv82 Surv83
4: Early reflections on what happened:
"The MPC Adventures" (PARC Report) PDF Invited Talk, 1981
"The MPC Adventures" (Euromicro Journal) PDF
"The Design of VLSI Design Methods" PDF Invited Paper 1982 In ESSCIRC82
Lynn PARC photo, 1983 JPG
M-C Wetherill Medal Photo, 1985 JPG
Mead-Conway Impact
Funding a Revolution, 1999 HTML
Dealers of Lightning, 1999
Electr Des Hall of Fame, 2002 PDF
5: Later memoirs, reminiscences and career-legacy files:
"The Many Shades of 'Out'", Lynn Conway PDF July 14, 2013 Huffington Post article provides further background context re the VLSI Revolution
Mead-Conway References HTML Full set of references Lynn used when compiling her VLSI Reminiscences and follow-on writings
VLSI 'Timeline of Events' PDF Reminiscences of the VLSI Revolution: A Timeline of Events
"ACS Reminiscences", Lynn Conway, 2011 PDF Festshrift Invited book chapter, Nov 2011. Includes discussion of Lynn's early work at IBM that impacted her research in VLSI
Special Issue of the IEEE SSCM, Fall 2012 PDF PDF of Special Issue containing Lynn's VLSI memoir and invited commentaries
"VLSI Reminiscences", Lynn Conway PDF SSCM Invited memoir, IEEE Solid State Circuits Magazine, Fall 2012
"Paradigm Shift ", Chuck House PDF SSCM Invited commentary, IEEE Solid State Circuits Magazine, Fall 2012
"Birth of VLSI Design",Carlo Sequin PDF SSCM Invited commentary, IEEE Solid State Circuits Magazine, Fall 2012
"Covering", Ken Shepard PDF SSCM Invited commentary, IEEE Solid State Circuits Magazine, Fall 2012
"Faith, Funds, & Fate", Bert Sutherland, 4/26/12 PDF SLIDES Invited presentation on the occasion of ISI's 40th Anniversary, 2012 - re the origin of MOSIS
CHM Fellow Nomination, Bert Sutherland, 8/13/13 PDF Bert Sutherland graciously supported the re-emergence of my career legacy in 2013. He later shared this with me, in 2018.
"The Disappeared: Beyond Winning and Losing" PDF Invited article by Lynn Conway in IEEE Computer, October 2018
"An Invisible Woman", Lynn Conway, 4/25/19 PPTX PDF "An Invisible Woman: The Inside Story Behind the Microelectronic Computing Revolution in Silicon Valley" 4/25/19
IBM Apologizes to Lynn Conway, 52 years later! 10/14/20 Forbes NY Times Mich Daily Wash Post LA Times NY Post Daily News
"A Sociotechnical Exchange, Redux", 3/01/21 HTML By Lucy Suchman, in "Backchannels│Reflections", Society for the Social Studies of Science (4S), 3/01/21
"Conway-Suchman conversation", 3/01/21 HTML Annotated transcript of conversations at PARC in 1980 between Lynn Conway & Lucy Suchman about early development of VLSI
End of Spreadsheet