Electronics industry in the Socialist Republic of Romania

The electronics industry in the Socialist Republic of Romania was characterized by stronger ties to Western Europe when compared to other countries in the Eastern Bloc, due to the drive of the Romanian leadership towards greater autonomy from the Soviet Union.

[1] In 1960, the government of Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej decided to build an electronics plant in the forest of Băneasa, which in 1962 was named Băneasa Radio and Semiconductor Parts Company (Romanian: Întreprinderea de piese radio și semiconductori or I.P.R.S.).

[5] In 1969, the Research Center for the Design of Electronic Components (Romanian: Centrul de Cercetare Proiectare pentru Componente Electronice or CCPCE) was established on the grounds of I.P.R.S., but independent from it.

and changed its name to Research Institute for Electronic Components (Romanian: Institutul de Cercetare pentru Componente Electronice or ICCE).

[6] With new production facilities opened in 1979, the institute started to manufacture transistors, diodes, integrated circuits, optoelectronics, and microwave devices for end customers, in particular products that were needed only in small quantities (a few thousand per month) and could therefore not be manufactured economically at I.P.R.S.

[2] Amid allegations of corruption, the plant was sold, in 2003, to Syrian businessman Omar Hayssam (who was, in 2013, sentenced to a 20-year prison term for organizing the kidnapping of three Romanian journalists in Baghdad).

Microelectronica assigned integrated circuit designations according to the underlying technology:[4]: 582  MMP for PMOS (e.g. MMP106),[10] MMN for NMOS (e.g. MMN8080),[10] and MMC for CMOS (e.g.

Silicon power transistor SDT9402, showing the "β" logo of I.P.R.S.
CII 72 die, two voltage comparators with separate differential inputs, showing the "β" logo of I.P.R.S.
Single-height Eurocard Board with MMN80CPU microprocessor and 4000-series integrated circuits , all showing the "ME" logo of Microelectronica