The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit microprocessor designed by Zilog, first released in 1976; it played an important role in the evolution of early personal computing. It was designed to be software-compatible
A Z80 manufactured in June 1976
A May 1976 advertisement for the Z80 outlines its major advantages over the 8080.
Photo of the original Zilog Z80 microprocessor design in depletion-load nMOS. Total die size is 3545×3350 μm. The blue squares around the outside are the pads that connect to the external pins. This chip was manufactured in 1990.