INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
Our world is full of integrated circuits (semiconductor devices with several
transistors
built into one physical component). It is an electronic circuit which involves
thousands or
millions of interconnected components like transistors, diodes and resistors.
They are
usually called ICs. We can find several of them in computers. For example, most
people
have probably heard about the microprocessor. The microprocessor is an
integrated
circuit that processes all information in the computer.
It keeps track of what keys are pressed and if the mouse has been moved. It
counts
numbers and runs programs, games and the operating system. The first
integrated circuits
(ICs) were based on small scale integration (SSI) circuits, which had around 10
devices
per circuit (or „chip‟), and evolved to the use of medium-scale integrated (MSI)
circuits,
which had up to 100 devices per chip. Integrated circuits are also found in
almost every
modern electrical device such as cars, television sets, CD players, cellular
phones, etc.
The main benefits of ICs are lower costs, high reliability and smaller space
requirements.
But what is an integrated circuit and what is the history behind it?
, Electronic Circuits
The integrated circuit is nothing more than a very advanced electric circuit. An
electric
circuit is made from different electrical components such as transistors,
resistors,
capacitors and diodes, which are connected to each other in different ways. It
is an
unbroken loop of conductive material that allows electrons to flow
continuously. If a
circuit is “broken”, its conductive elements will no longer form a complete path
and
continuous electron flow cannot occur. The transistor acts like a switch. It can
turn
electricity on or off, or it can amplify current. It is used for example in
computers to store
information.
The resistor limits the flow of electricity and gives us the possibility to control
the
amount of current that is allowed to pass. For example resistors are used,
among other
things, to control the volume in television sets or radios.
The capacitor collects electricity and releases it all in one quick burst. The
diode stops
electricity under some conditions and allows it to pass only when these
conditions
change. This is used in, for example, photocells where a light beam that is
broken triggers
the diode to stop electricity from flowing through it.
Our world is full of integrated circuits (semiconductor devices with several
transistors
built into one physical component). It is an electronic circuit which involves
thousands or
millions of interconnected components like transistors, diodes and resistors.
They are
usually called ICs. We can find several of them in computers. For example, most
people
have probably heard about the microprocessor. The microprocessor is an
integrated
circuit that processes all information in the computer.
It keeps track of what keys are pressed and if the mouse has been moved. It
counts
numbers and runs programs, games and the operating system. The first
integrated circuits
(ICs) were based on small scale integration (SSI) circuits, which had around 10
devices
per circuit (or „chip‟), and evolved to the use of medium-scale integrated (MSI)
circuits,
which had up to 100 devices per chip. Integrated circuits are also found in
almost every
modern electrical device such as cars, television sets, CD players, cellular
phones, etc.
The main benefits of ICs are lower costs, high reliability and smaller space
requirements.
But what is an integrated circuit and what is the history behind it?
, Electronic Circuits
The integrated circuit is nothing more than a very advanced electric circuit. An
electric
circuit is made from different electrical components such as transistors,
resistors,
capacitors and diodes, which are connected to each other in different ways. It
is an
unbroken loop of conductive material that allows electrons to flow
continuously. If a
circuit is “broken”, its conductive elements will no longer form a complete path
and
continuous electron flow cannot occur. The transistor acts like a switch. It can
turn
electricity on or off, or it can amplify current. It is used for example in
computers to store
information.
The resistor limits the flow of electricity and gives us the possibility to control
the
amount of current that is allowed to pass. For example resistors are used,
among other
things, to control the volume in television sets or radios.
The capacitor collects electricity and releases it all in one quick burst. The
diode stops
electricity under some conditions and allows it to pass only when these
conditions
change. This is used in, for example, photocells where a light beam that is
broken triggers
the diode to stop electricity from flowing through it.
