Siliconix
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Semiconductor |
| Founded | March 5, 1962 |
| Founder | Frances Hugle, Bill Hugle, Richard Lee |
| Fate | Acquired by TEMIC; later acquired by Vishay |
Key people | Richard Lee (management after 1968) |
| Products | MOSFETs, FET arrays, power MOSFET components, ASIC solutions |
| Owner | Vishay |
Siliconix Inc., subsequently known as Temic Siliconix Inc., was an innovative American firm in the semiconductor sector, primarily recognized for its expertise in MOSFET technology. Established in 1962 by entrepreneurs Frances and Bill Hugle together with Richard Lee, the company later became a subsidiary under the ownership of Vishay.
History
Siliconix was officially formed on March 5, 1962, with initial funding provided by the Baldwin Piano Company and Electronic Engineering Company (EECO). The founding team brought valuable industry knowledge, notably with Lee’s prior experience at Texas Instruments. The company specialized in designing and manufacturing field-effect transistor (FET) devices, including early offerings such as P-channel and N-channel junction FETs, various MOSFET models, FET arrays, and power MOSFET components.
After the passing of Frances Hugle in 1968, Bill Hugle transitioned his efforts toward political pursuits while Richard Lee assumed responsibility for daily management. Leadership expanded during the mid-1980s under Lee’s guidance. Despite Bill Hugle facing espionage-related legal accusations in the early 1970s—of which he was ultimately acquitted—Siliconix experienced consistent growth throughout the 1980s and did not report any quarterly financial losses during that period.
Choosing not to enter the microprocessor arena, Siliconix concentrated on custom application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) solutions. Nevertheless, by the late 1980s, declining revenues coupled with a lost patent infringement case against International Rectifier forced Siliconix to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1989. Subsequently, the company was acquired by TEMIC, a German subsidiary of Telefunken, and rebranded as Temic Siliconix Inc. The refocused product line emphasized power management integrated circuits for microcomputers along with motion controller chips designed for hard disk drives.
Beginning in 1997, Vishay initiated the purchase of Siliconix shares from multiple stakeholders, culminating in full ownership by 2005.