My Life at Fairchild – 1980-1983

My Life at Fairchild – 1980-1983
by Mark Rioux on 01-04-2016 at 12:00 pm

After spending my first year learning a great deal about Diffusion and completing my orientation at Fairchild, I was moved to the 3″ Photolithography area as a sustaining engineer. As with the Diffusion area, being a sustaining engineer in Photo meant dispositioning lots on hold and making process improvements as needed.… Read More


My Life at Fairchild – 1979 Part 2

My Life at Fairchild – 1979 Part 2
by Mark Rioux on 12-13-2015 at 7:00 am

To pick up on my last post, I wanted to expand a bit on my duties and experiences back in 1979 in the 3″ Diffusion area of fab.

I am a morning person so I was usually at work between 6am – 7am. I would immediately go into fab to check on my engineering hold table and speak with the production operators to get a sense of the problems
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My Life at Fairchild Semiconductor – 1979

My Life at Fairchild Semiconductor – 1979
by Mark Rioux on 11-29-2015 at 8:00 pm

This week it was announced that Fairchild Semiconductor was sold to On Semiconductor for $2.4B. The end of an era. As I look back at my career of 36 years with the only company that I have worked for since graduating college, I can’t help but feel a bit sad but extremely grateful for the wonderful experience that Fairchild has … Read More


Delivering Zero Defect Products – EVS Testing

Delivering Zero Defect Products – EVS Testing
by Mark Rioux on 10-28-2015 at 12:00 pm

Competition in the semiconductor product marketplace has grown increasingly difficult as suppliers constantly search for ways to differentiate their products. Customers expect low cost, problem-free product performance. Automotive manufacturers in particular expect zero defects as field failures can prove very costly.… Read More