integrated circuits
Tiny electronic brains
Integrated circuits are electronic circuits built onto a single piece of semiconductor material, typically silicon.
They pack thousands to billions of components—transistors, resistors, capacitors—onto chips smaller than a fingernail.
Also called ICs, chips, or microchips, they form the foundation of modern electronics: The integrated circuit revolutionized computing.
Their invention in the late 1950s made possible everything from smartphones to spacecraft.
Partial electrical conductor
- waferThin crisp disk
- lithographyGrease-based flat plate printing
- photolithographyLight-transfers patterns onto silicon
- etchingAcid-incised metal print
doping · cleanroom · silicon · foundry · CMOS · die · substrate · deposition
Compact computing circuit
- ASICSingle-purpose microchip
- RAMTemporary data storage hardware
- ROMUnwritable digital storage
- CPUMain computing chip
GPU · DSP · microcontroller · memory chip · voltage regulator · timer
Miniature semiconductor processor
- chipsetCoordinated circuit collection
- motherboardComputer's primary circuit platform
- PCBElectronic component substrate
- embeddedSet firmly within something
IoT · smartphone · computer · automotive · medical devices · aerospace · wearables · data center
Reducing physical scale significantly
- Moore's LawChip capacity doubles biennially
- nanometerMetric unit, billion-fold smaller
- nodeConnection point in networks
- shrinkageDecrease in size
Semiconductor signal switch
- capacitorCharge-storing circuit element
- resistorCurrent-limiting circuit element
- diodeOne-way semiconductor
- inductorCoil storing magnetic energy
logic gate · amplifier · rectifier · interconnect · via · channel · source · drain
Simplified technical diagram
- layoutSpatial arrangement of elements
- simulationImitation of real processes
- verificationProving something accurate
- CADTechnical drawing technology
semiconductor
Partial electrical conductor
- waferThin crisp disk
- lithographyGrease-based flat plate printing
- photolithographyLight-transfers patterns onto silicon
etching · doping · cleanroom · silicon · foundry · CMOS · die · substrate · deposition · mask
microprocessor
Compact computing circuit
CPU · GPU · DSP · microcontroller · memory chip · voltage regulator · timer
microchip
Miniature semiconductor processor
- chipsetCoordinated circuit collection
- motherboardComputer's primary circuit platform
- PCBElectronic component substrate
embedded · IoT · smartphone · computer · automotive · medical devices · aerospace · wearables · data center · telecommunications
miniaturization
Reducing physical scale significantly
- Moore's LawChip capacity doubles biennially
- nanometerMetric unit, billion-fold smaller
- nodeConnection point in networks
shrinkage · density · power efficiency · heat dissipation · leakage
transistor
Semiconductor signal switch
- capacitorCharge-storing circuit element
- resistorCurrent-limiting circuit element
- diodeOne-way semiconductor
inductor · logic gate · amplifier · rectifier · interconnect · via · channel · source · drain · contact
schematic
Simplified technical diagram
- layoutSpatial arrangement of elements
- simulationImitation of real processes
- verificationProving something accurate
- electronicscomputer, resistors, capacitors, TVs, TV
- tech industrysoftware, computers, semiconductors, hardware, Amazon
- Computing HistoryENIAC, UNIVAC, mainframe, mainframes, punch card
- hobby electronicscircuits, resistors, capacitors, LEDs, wires
- semiconductorssilicon, semiconductor, semiconductors, silicon wafers, transistor
- computerscomputer, computers, desktop, desktops, laptop
circuit, integral, integrated, integrate, integration, disintegrate, disintegration, circuitry, integrating