The Three Transistor Cell 1024-bit MOS memory device
Based on his research, Bill requested funding from Honeywell to produce a Three-transistor cell 512-bit MOS memory device. Honeywell gave him a list of manufacturing companies to work with and of the companies they started to work with Intel showed keen interest. However, 512-bits was a modest density for a chip. Intel wanted to push the envelope a bit further and aim for 1024-bits, especially considering Intel was new at the time and working on establishing itself in the computer manufacturing industry at the time.
Within Honeywell the 1024-bit chip was called the F30 while at intel the chip was the i-1102. The 1102 posed some challenges, namely the transistors themselves had an inefficient connection method between their components. Alongside this the chip demanded more usage of its peripheral circuitry than preferrable.
Jordan recalls a conversation with Regitz while in the thick of working on the chip, where he said,“can you imagine, one hundred years ago, some guy told his boss about an idea to build a transportation system with five mile long cables? If he could get that running, we ought to be able to get the 1102 to work!”
Ted Hoff, Joel Karp, and Leslie Vadasz at intel started to explore other connection methods
Regitz interviewed with Intel and was given a job offer. He was tempted to stay at Honeywell but ultimately accepted the position to work more intimately within the semiconductor industry and chip design process.
Unbeknownst to Regitz and the Honeywell team at the time, while they worked on the chip, Intel had quietly started a separate design team to develop an alternative draft of the 1102.
Shortly before the conference, Intel decided to drop the original 1102 design and put their modified chip into production as the 1103. Though Regitz was disapointed, he understood the larger goal was to “set an industry standard, not develop a custom part for the sole use of Honeywell. We truly understood the power of buying standard parts and the economic impact on pricing.”
Still, In 1970, Regitz gave a joint paper with Joel Karp at the Solid-State-Circuit Conference (ISSCC) titled "A Three-Transistor-Cell 1024-Bit 500 nS MOS RAM" based around the original 1102 design.
On the plane from the Solid State Conference, his boss, Bill Jordan, tried to convince him to stay at Honeywell. Not only did Jordan not convince Regitz to stay, but Regitz convinced Jordan to join him at Intel. They “agreed to put a business plan together to convince Intel to go into the memory systems business.”
Regitz sent his job acceptance to Intel along with his and Bill Jordan’s proposal for Intel to join the memory systems business.
The Three Transistor Cell 1024-bit MOS memory device
