Vishay Telefunken

Vishay Semiconductors includes the former Vishay Telefunken product lines, the former General Semiconductor product lines, the infrared component product lines acquired from Infineon Technologies, and selected product lines acquired from International Rectifier (excluding planar high-voltage MOSFETs).

The Vishay Semiconductors product portfolio includes rectifiers, fast-recovery diodes, high-power diodes and thyristors, small-signal diodes, Zener and suppressor diodes, RF transistors, optoelectronics, power modules (a combination of power diodes, thyristors, MOSFETs, and IGBTs), and automotive modules and assemblies.

Vishay is the world’s number one manufacturer of rectifiers, glass diodes, and infrared components.

Telefunken was founded in the 1920s by German companies Siemens and AEG. Its name is a combination of the prefix “tele” and the German word meaning “spark” or “transmission.” Telefunken’s original focus on high-frequency electrical transmissions for radio eventually led it to become an important supplier to the broadcasting and television industry.

1960: Newly established production facility for TELEFUNKEN GmbH with approximately 500 employees.

1964: Manufacture of planar transistors using silicon technology.

1966: First linear integrated circuit (IC): low-frequency amplifier.

1967: Capacity increase of IC and discrete semiconductor production. Expansion from approximately 1,800 to 2,200 employees.
Integration of AEG-TELEFUNKEN into AEG Aktiengesellschaft (public limited company). The first German news satellite is equipped with 23,000 solar cells from Heilbronn.

1968: First integrated circuit for processing the intermediate frequency amplifier in a television

1970: First diode that emits red light. (Light Emitting Diode = LED.)

1974: Following the establishment of assembly works in Austria and Berlin, Germany, founding of TELEFUNKEN Semiconductors (Philippines), Inc. in Manila.

1975: Single-chip radio.

1976: Single-chip VHF television tuner.

1977: First electronic ignition for Volkswagen. First green LED (GaP LPE).

1980: LED display for night vision device.

1981: Start of production of car indicators. Subsequently, expansion to market leadership.

1982: Creation of TELEFUNKEN electronic GmbH (TEG) as an independent company within the AEG Group.

1984: Double hetero laser GaAlAs (gallium aluminium arsenide).

1985: LED print head (LEDA).

1987: TEG has 6,000 employees worldwide and a turnover of 600 million DM.
Start of production of ABS integrated circuits.

1988: AEG belongs to the Daimler-Benz Group. Consequently, TEG takes over a capital share in Siliconix (Santa Clara, USA) for the expansion of car and industrial integrated technology for Daimler-Benz.

1989: TEG takes over shares in Matra MHS (Nantes, France).

1990: First 65-GHz splitter in silicon.

1991: Single-chip telephone IC.

1992: Founding of TEMIC TELEFUNKEN microelectronic GmbH as an AEG Daimler-Benz Industries company with headquarters in Heilbronn.
16,000 employees worldwide; turnover of approximately 2.5 billion DM.
Semiconductor activities are combined in TEMIC Semiconductor GmbH.
First generation of airbag circuits.

1993: The semiconductor area at the Heilbronn location receives DIN ISO 9001 certification.

1994: Double-hetero IR diode for IR communication.

1995: IR transceiver (IrDA standard), first HF chipset for cordless digital telephones.

1996: Global restructuring of TEMIC Semiconductors into an Integrated Circuit Division and a Discrete Components Division.
4 MB/s transceiver (IrDA standard), single-chip TV IC, fastest radio PLL in the world, developments in bipolar CMOS/DMOS (BCD) technology.

1997: TEMIC Semiconductor GmbH is spun off from TEMIC TELEFUNKEN microelectronic GmbH.

1998: Acquisition of TEMIC Semiconductor GmbH by Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
Split into areas for discrete components (Vishay Semiconductor GmbH), integrated circuits (TEMIC Semiconductor GmbH), and central services (TEMIC Semiconductor Service GmbH [renamed as Facility Service GmbH in 1999]).

1998: Diodes and transistors, optical components, and IRDCs (infrared data communications devices) are managed under the name Vishay Semiconductor GmbH.

All products formerly branded Vishay Telefunken are now branded Vishay Semiconductors.