Semiconductor & Computer Engineering
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The Intel 4004 was the first commercially available microprocessor in history released by Intel Corporation in 1971. The 4004 was a 4-bit CPU designed for use in the Busicom 141-PF printing calculator[1]. The chip, which clocked at 740 KHz, employed a 10µm[2] process silicon-gate, capable of executing 92,000 instructions per second. The chip was capable of accessing 4KB of program memory and 640 bytes of RAM. The 4004 was part of the Intel MCS4 system.
The microprocessor had a limited architecture such as only 3-levels deep stack, a complex memory access scheme, and no interrupt support.
History
In November of 1971, a memory chip manufacturer by the name Intel publicly announcement the world's first single chip microprocessor, in the Nov. 15, issue of Electronic News. The prophetic ad read: "Announcing a new era in integrated electronics". The chip was designed by Federico Faggin, Ted Hoff, and Masatoshi Shima and received U.S. Patent #3,821,715. The original 4004 chips were shipped in a 16-pin ceramic DIP.
Variations
Three primary source variations were produced by Intel: C4004, D4004, and the P4004. The Intel C4004 is the first chip to be manufactured. It had the gray traces visible on the white ceramic package itself. The C4004 was produced up until mid 1976. The Intel D4004 was first produced around mid 1976, had a plastic and black ceramic package. The Intel P4004 is the plastic packaging version.
Only one known secondary source exists, made by National Semiconductor since mid-1975. The National Semiconductor produced two versions: INS4004J and INS4004D. The INS4004J is a 16-pin black ceramic DIP. The INS4004D version is a 16-pin side-brazed ceramic DIP.
Collectability
Due to its notability statues and historic value, the Intel 4004 is very collectible among collectors and non-collector alike. The C4004, white ceramic package are the most sought-after version which sells for hundreds of dollars.