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The VLSI Memos
Over the course of 7 years, the Microsystems Research Center of MIT undertook a series of advanced research inquiries in early Very Large Scale Integrated-circuit (VLSI) technology. Publicized as 428 unique papers documenting their research in three distinct phases, fifteen MIT faculty worked tirelessly to achieve this relatively obscure body of work which culminated in the design and fabrication of two unique chips. A detailed summary can be found by reading the final report "A Coherent VLSI Design Environment".
Currently only a small number of these papers have been excavated from the MIT Archives with the studious help of the staff there. There presently remains the challenge of correctly converting RCA titles into their correct form.
Background
The initial proposal made by Professor Paul Penfield was made on January 4th, 1980 and is the first memo "Integrated Circuit Series" 80-1.
Penfield states that the goal of the series was to “disseminate recent results and ideas in various stages of development to others at M.I.T. who may be interested.” However most of this memo is dedicated to describing how memos will be handled and published (if at all), along with general guidelines for writing.
Several memos were published this day and within the following week.
Advanced Research in VLSI
In the final report this first phase of research is listed as beginning on the 12 May, 1980 and ending 2 years to the day on the 11th of May, 1982.
80-1 "Integrated Circuit Series," Paul Penfield, Jr., January 1980. (4 pp.)
80-2 "Using APL on the Speech System 20," Paul Penfield, Jr., January 1980. (7 pp.)
80-3 "Design Considerations for a Partial Differential Equation Machine," Arvind and Randal E. Bryant, January 1980. (10 pp.)
80-4 "Information Transfer and Area-Time Tradeoffs for VLSI Multiplication," Harold Abelson and Peter Andreae, January 1980. (9 pp.)
80-5 "A Monolithic Moisture Sensor," Kou Togashi and Stephen D. Senturia, January 1980. (9 pp.)
80-6 "The SCHEME-79 Chip," Jack Holloway, Guy L. Steele, Gerald J. Sussman, and Alan Bell, January 1980. (43 pp.)