New solid-state circuits: A 500-kb bucket brigade scanner and a 4-watt audio amplifier are but two of several promising new developments

Good indicators of what´s ahead in solid state are found annually at the International Solid State Circuits Conference. The 1974 meeting, to be held next month, is no exception. The program reveals a healthy crop of R&D spectaculars, yet more than half of the papers deal with conventional design, processing, and fabrication techniques. One member of the technical program committee, IBM´s David Pricer, characterized the conference climate: “Last year we presented ideas and this year we are trying to make them practical.” In preparation for producing this special report, Spectrum talked with several ISSCC session chairmen to gain an insight into the developments that will be detailed at the conference.