Burr-Brown Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Burr-Brown Corporation was a United States
technology company in Tucson, Arizona
, which designed, manufactured, and marketed a broad line of proprietary, standard, high-performance, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit
s (ICs) used in electronic signal processing
. The company's products were used in a wide range of applications: industrial process and control, telecommunications, test and measurement, medical and scientific instrumentation
, medical imaging
, digital audio
and video, personal computing and multimedia
.
In September 2000, Texas Instruments
acquired the company for $7.6 billion.
in Tucson, Arizona
in 1956 by founders Page Burr and Thomas R. Brown, Jr. (BS MIT 1949, MBA Harvard 1952) to commercialize semiconductor
transistors; in 1959, the company posted its first profit. Brown eventually bought out Burr's share of the company .
In 1983, the company reincorporated in Delaware
, and went public
with stock trading on NASDAQ
under the symbol BBRC.
The company employed over 1,300 people worldwide with manufacturing and technical facilities located in Tucson, Arizona
; Atsugi, Japan; and Livingston, Scotland
. Company headquarters was located in Tucson.
Burr-Brown was one of the principal suppliers of precision analog and data acquisition products to the electronic industry. The company pioneered many analog semiconductor products and techniques, such as active laser-trimming.
To mark Burr-Brown's history, a monument was erected in the main courtyard in Tucson, Arizona
with the following text:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
technology company in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, which designed, manufactured, and marketed a broad line of proprietary, standard, high-performance, analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s (ICs) used in electronic signal processing
Signal processing
Signal processing is an area of systems engineering, electrical engineering and applied mathematics that deals with operations on or analysis of signals, in either discrete or continuous time...
. The company's products were used in a wide range of applications: industrial process and control, telecommunications, test and measurement, medical and scientific instrumentation
Instrumentation
Instrumentation is defined as the art and science of measurement and control of process variables within a production, or manufacturing area....
, medical imaging
Medical imaging
Medical imaging is the technique and process used to create images of the human body for clinical purposes or medical science...
, digital audio
Digital audio
Digital audio is sound reproduction using pulse-code modulation and digital signals. Digital audio systems include analog-to-digital conversion , digital-to-analog conversion , digital storage, processing and transmission components...
and video, personal computing and multimedia
Multimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
.
In September 2000, Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Inc. , widely known as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, United States, which develops and commercializes semiconductor and computer technology...
acquired the company for $7.6 billion.
History
The company was incorporatedIncorporation (business)
Incorporation is the forming of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business, a non-profit organisation, sports club, or a government of a new city or town...
in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
in 1956 by founders Page Burr and Thomas R. Brown, Jr. (BS MIT 1949, MBA Harvard 1952) to commercialize semiconductor
Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity due to electron flow intermediate in magnitude between that of a conductor and an insulator. This means a conductivity roughly in the range of 103 to 10−8 siemens per centimeter...
transistors; in 1959, the company posted its first profit. Brown eventually bought out Burr's share of the company .
In 1983, the company reincorporated in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, and went public
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
with stock trading on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
under the symbol BBRC.
The company employed over 1,300 people worldwide with manufacturing and technical facilities located in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
; Atsugi, Japan; and Livingston, Scotland
Livingston, Scotland
Livingston is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is the fourth post-WWII new town to be built in Scotland, designated in 1962. It is about 15 miles west of Edinburgh and 30 miles east of Glasgow, and is bordered by the towns of Broxburn to the northeast and Bathgate to the northwest.Livingston...
. Company headquarters was located in Tucson.
Burr-Brown was one of the principal suppliers of precision analog and data acquisition products to the electronic industry. The company pioneered many analog semiconductor products and techniques, such as active laser-trimming.
To mark Burr-Brown's history, a monument was erected in the main courtyard in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
with the following text:
From its humble beginnings in Tom Brown’s garage, Burr-Brown Corporation grew into one of the world’s leading designers and manufacturers of high-performance analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. Robert Page Burr and Thomas R. Brown, Jr., co-founded the company in 1956 and gave their names to the new enterprise.
Mr. Burr left in 1958 to form another company, while Mr. Brown continued to lead Burr-Brown for 44 years. The company developed the first commercial solid-stateSolid state (electronics)Solid-state electronics are those circuits or devices built entirely from solid materials and in which the electrons, or other charge carriers, are confined entirely within the solid material...
operational amplifierOperational amplifierAn operational amplifier is a DC-coupled high-gain electronic voltage amplifier with a differential input and, usually, a single-ended output...
and led the world in high-precision data conversion technology.
This monument honors Burr-Brown’s founders and their pioneering spirit; its gifted and dedicated employees; and its rich history of technological achievements. In the words of its stated Corporate Purpose, Burr-Brown truly did “provide something of value to mankind.”
On the occasion of becoming one company, this marker is hereby dedicated with deepest respect by Texas Instruments Incorporated to the people of Burr-Brown.
August 30, 2000