introduction to IC

An integrated circuit (IC) or often referred to as a microchip or simply chip is a miniaturized electronic circuit (consisting mainly of semiconductor device s, as well as passive component s) which has been manufactured on a thin substrate of semiconductor material. As of 2004 , typical chips are of size 1 cm 2 or smaller, and contain millions of interconnected devices, but larger ones exist as well.

Among the most advanced integrated circuits are the microprocessor s, which control everything from computer s to cellular phone s to digital microwave oven. Digital memory chip s are another family of integrated circuit that is crucially important to the modern information society.

Introduction

The integrated circuit was made possible by experimental discoveries which showed that semiconductor device s could perform the functions of vacuum tube s and mid- 20th-century technology advancements in semiconductor device fabrication . The integration of large numbers of tiny transistor s onto a small chip was an enormous improvement over the manual assembly of vacuum tube s and circuits using discrete components . The integrated circuit's small size, reliability, fast switching speeds, low power , mass production capability, and ease of adding complexity prompted the use of standardized IC's in place of designs using discrete transistors and quickly pushed vacuum tubes into obsolescence. Only a half century after their development was initiated, integrated circuits have become ubiquitous. Computer s, cellular phone s, and other digital appliance s are now inextricable parts of the structure of modern societies. That is, modern computing , communication s, manufacturing and transportsystems, including the Internet , all depend on the existence of integrated circuits. Indeed, many scholar s believe that the digital revolution brought about by integrated circuits was one of the most significant occurrences in the history of mankind .