Archive of MPC79 messages, notes and files:

A VLSI Archive Document compiled by Lynn Conway

[V 4-08-08].

Following the success of her M.I.T '78 VLSI design course, Lynn Conway sought ways to dramatically scale up internet access to quick-turnaround chip prototyping, in order to enable wider testing, refinement and evaluation of the new Mead-Conway design methods. In the spring of 1979 she conceived of a new type of internet-based implementation infrastructure for this purpose, and announced its availability to students taking Mead-Conway courses that fall.

In a crash-effort that summer at PARC, Alan Bell and Martin Newell created a software prototype of the new "MPC System". Lynn's team used the new system to support rapid prototyping of student design projects at many universities that fall, in a large-scale experimental demonstration-trial of the new VLSI design and implementation methods called "MPC79".

MPC79 played a vital role in the rapid evolution and validation of the Mead-Conway design methods and their propagation into over 100 universities and scores of startup companies within just several years. This Archive of MPC79 files contains scans of key documents from that event.

Table of Contents................................................1 Photo of Alan Bell during the final merge .........2 1. Informational Messages .....................................3

1: 10-12-79 ..................................................................4 2: 10-17-79 ..................................................................9 3: 11-01-79 ................................................................14 4: 11-06-79 ................................................................23 5: 11-26-79 ................................................................27 Update 1: 12-02-79 ....................................................31 Update 2: 12-05-79....................................................34 6: 1-05-79 ..................................................................47 Photos: 2-28-07 .........................................................42

2. Photo Order ......................................................43 3. Distribution Lists .............................................48 4. University Information, 9-30-79

.....................53 5. University Information, 10-31-79 ....................62 6. Notes ................................................................69 7. Area Estimates .................................................76 8. University Merges ............................................82

Berkeley ......................................................................86 Caltech ........................................................................89 CMU .........................................................................103 Illinois .......................................................................107 MIT ...........................................................................110 Other .........................................................................122 Rochester...................................................................127 Stanford ....................................................................134

9. Wafer Partitioning .........................................147 10. Scribe Lines ..................................................151 11. Final Merge Specs ........................................155 12. MEBES Master Plate Specs .........................182 13. HP letters ...191 14. Paul Gray letters

... 197 15. David Kearns Letter .....................................204

Alan Bell, architect of the prototype MPC software system, overseeing the final merge and die-layout planning of MPC79 projects, Xerox PARC, December 4, 1979.

MPC79 wafer type A, along with packaged and wired-bonded project-chip AE-7, January 2, 1980.

MPC79 Informational Messages:

MPC79 Photo Order:

MPC79 Distribution Lists:

MPC79 University Info, 9-30-79:

MPC79 University Info, 10-31-79:

MPC79 Notes:

MPC79 Area Estimates:

MPC79 University Merges:

MPC79 Wafer Partitioning:

MPC79 Scribe Lines:

MPC79 Final Merge Specification:

MPC79 MEBES Master Plate Specs:

MPC79 HP Letters:

MPC79 Gray Letters:

MPC79 Kearns

Letter: