History

About Piconics

In 1969, Piconics expanded its product line to include thin film products, starting with resistors and custom circuits. In 1970, Piconics began manufacturing thick film resistors and circuits as well. At that time, manufacturing also included hybrid assembly of both thick and thin film circuits.

Since its inception, Piconics has concentrated on exotic and difficult to manufacture devices for the space, military, microwave and medical markets. We are considered a "made to order" shop and will manufacture very small quantities. However, we have also successfully delivered orders of 10 million parts. Piconics has about 70 employees and is partnered with companies offshore to service the European and Asian markets.

Piconics has worked with Harvard, MIT, Cornell, University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts and many other colleges and universities on research in a diversity of areas. Much of the research was conducted to benefit studies relating to medicine and humanity. We consider it our civic duty to provide our unique talents in this critical area.

Piconics is proud of the role it has played pioneering the microminiature inductor field and promises to be just as innovative in the future. Piconics is "the source" when primary considerations are engineering, quality and service.

About Piconics Founder and President Stephen Slenker

Piconics was founded by Mr. Stephen Slenker. Mr. Slenker has been involved in the design and development of electronic components for most of his life. He applied for his first patent while a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for high power transistor amplifiers for use in satellite transmitters. After receiving his bachelor and master degrees from MIT, he worked for Raytheon Corporation in Bristol, Tenn. in the Missile Systems group.

While at Raytheon, Slenker solved system circuit problems and drew the first schematic of the entire missile system. He transferred to Raytheon’s Research Facility in Bedford, Mass., where he transistorized one-half of the Sparrow Missile system. Stephen started the first microelectronics facility at Raytheon and built radio frequency and other thin film circuits.

Mr. Slenker saw the advantage of the miniaturization of electronic components for the aerospace industry and formed Piconics in 1963 to advance his ideas. He wrote, argued and won several U.S. patents on microelectronic inductors and was featured in an Electronics Magazine cover story on these devices. Slenker designed a critical phase comparator transformer for the Apollo program, and he also designed the first chip inductors and small microwave inductors. Most of his inductors were only one-tenth the size and weight of previously available devices.