Integrated Circuit (IC)
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An Integrated Circuit (IC) is an electronic device that integrates circuit components onto a single semiconductor substrate through surface patterning and element diffusion.
- Context:
- It can (typically) utilize Silicon Wafers as the base semiconductor material.
- It can (often) integrate multiple Electronic Components including Transistors, Resistors, and Capacitors.
- It can (often) serve as the foundational Building Block for electronic systems.
- ...
- It can range from being a Simple Logic IC to being a Complex System IC, depending on its functional complexity.
- It can range from being a Two-Dimensional IC to being a Three-Dimensional IC, based on its physical structure.
- ...
- It can implement Analog Circuits for continuous signal processing.
- It can contain Digital Circuits for binary operations.
- It can combine both as Mixed-Signal Circuits for hybrid processing.
- It can scale according to Semiconductor Process Nodes.
- It can incorporate Multiple Layers of interconnects.
- It can feature Power Management capabilities.
- It can abide by a Moore's Law.
- ...
- Examples:
- Processing ICs, such as:
- Memory ICs, such as:
- DRAM Chips for main memory.
- Flash Memory for data storage.
- Cache SRAM for high-speed buffering.
- Interface ICs, such as:
- Analog ICs, such as:
- ...
- Counter-Example(s):
- Printed Circuit Boards, which connect discrete components rather than integrate them.
- Vacuum Tubes, which use electron emission rather than semiconductor physics.
- Discrete Transistors, which function as individual components rather than integrated systems.
- Hybrid Circuits, which combine discrete and integrated components rather than full integration.
- See: Central Processing Unit, Random Access Memory, Moore's Law, Integrated Circuit Design, Multigate Device, Semiconductor Manufacturing, Circuit Design, Transistor, Moore's Law, Chip Packaging, Process Technology, Electronic Design Automation, System on Chip.
References
2011
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit
- An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as IC, chip, and microchip) is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material.
- Integrated circuits can be classified into analog, digital and mixed signal (both 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. These digital ICs, typically microprocessors, DSPs, and micro controllers, work using binary mathematics to process "one" and "zero" signals.
- 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. Analog ICs ease the burden on circuit designers by having expertly designed analog circuits available instead of designing a difficult analog circuit from scratch.
- ICs can also combine analog and digital circuits on a single chip to create functions such as A/D converters and D/A converters. Such circuits offer smaller size and lower cost, but must carefully account for signal interference.
1961
- (Noyce, 1961) ⇒ Robert Noyce. (1961). “Semiconductor Device-and-Lead Structure." US Patent number: 2981877
1952
- (Jacobi, 1949) ⇒ Werner Jacobi. (1949). “Halbleiterverstaerker.” German Patent Number DE 833366