What Are Integrated Circuits?

What Are Integrated Circuits?

Integrated circuits (or ICs) are electronic components in which miniaturized active devices and passive devices, such as transistors and resistors, and their interconnections are built up on a small monolithic semiconductor substrate called a "chip." ICs are also known as microprocessors or microcontrollers.

Using integrated circuits, manufacturers can build much larger and more complex electronic devices than would be possible with discrete components. This means that more features can be packed into the same space and that devices will run more reliably, as there is less risk of failure due to loose connections or faulty wiring. In addition, ICs can be mass-produced at a lower cost than discrete components, making them more affordable to consumers.

Before the invention of ICs, electronic devices were large in size and consumed a lot of power because they used a lot of discrete components. Integrated circuits are able to combine many smaller components onto a single chip, dramatically decreasing the size and weight of devices and significantly reducing the amount of power they consume. Integrated circuits can be linear, digital, or some combination of both, depending on the application for which they are being designed.

The first ICs were made of germanium, but later silicon became the preferred material because it has better electrical properties. The earliest ICs were simple, but since then, ICs have become more sophisticated and are now used in almost all types of electronic devices. ICs can be found in televisions, computers, mobile phones, and automobiles, for example.

Because ICs are so complex, they require specialized machinery to manufacture. ICs are also sensitive to heat, so they need to be packaged in materials that can dissipate the heat they generate.

A typical IC has multiple layers of material, each with a pattern that is etched into the surface. Light passes through these layers in a way that exposes only the parts of the device that need to be activated or read. Some of the layers mark where different dopants are diffused into the substrate (diffusion layer), some define where additional ions are implanted (implant layer), and others define the conductors (doped polysilicon or metal layers). The pins on an IC can be arranged in a variety of ways, but there are four common sections for identifying the IC: the manufacturer's name or logo, a part number, a production batch and serial number, and a two-digit date code that indicates when the IC was manufactured.