Integrated circuits

Integrated Circuit

Type	Electronic circuit
Website	[ Official website]

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An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a chip or microchip, is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, normally silicon. The integration of large numbers of tiny transistors into a small chip results in circuits that are orders of magnitude smaller, cheaper, and faster than those constructed of discrete electronic components. The IC's mass production capability, reliability, and building-block approach to circuit design has ensured the rapid adoption of standardized ICs in place of designs using discrete transistors.

History

The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the mid-20th century technology revolution. The idea of the integrated circuit was conceived by Geoffrey Dummer (1909–2002), and the first practical ICs were invented by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments in 1958 and by Robert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor in 1959. Kilby recorded his initial ideas concerning the integrated circuit in July 1958, successfully demonstrating the first working integrated example on September 12, 1958.

Fabrication

The fabrication of integrated circuits involves several processes including photolithography, etching, and ion implantation which are used to form the electronic devices on the silicon wafer. The entire manufacturing process, from start to packaged chips ready for shipment, takes six to eight weeks and is performed in highly specialized facilities referred to as fabrication plants or fabs.

Types of Integrated Circuits

Integrated circuits can be analog, digital, or mixed-signal (analog and digital on the same chip). Digital integrated circuits can contain anything from one to millions of logic gates, flip-flops, multiplexers, and other circuits in a few square millimeters. The small size of these circuits allows high speed, low power dissipation, and reduced manufacturing cost compared with board-level integration.

Analog ICs

Analog ICs, such as sensors, power management circuits, and operational amplifiers, work by processing continuous signals. They perform functions like amplification, active filtering, demodulation, and mixing.

Digital ICs

Digital ICs, or digital logic circuits, use logic gates to process binary data. Examples include microprocessors, microcontrollers, and digital signal processors.

Mixed-Signal ICs

Mixed-signal circuits contain both analog and digital components. An example of a mixed-signal circuit is a codec chip, which converts analog signals to digital form and vice-versa.

Applications

Integrated circuits are used in virtually all electronic equipment today and have revolutionized the world of electronics. Computers, mobile phones, and other digital home appliances are now inextricable parts of the structure of modern societies, made possible by the low cost of ICs.

Challenges and Future Directions

As the technology progresses, the size of the transistors and the power consumption of integrated circuits continue to decrease, according to Moore's Law. However, physical limits to miniaturization, including the size of atoms and the heat generated by chip operation, set bounds to how small the designs can be scaled.

See Also

• Semiconductor device fabrication
• Moore's Law
• Microprocessor
• Microcontroller