At the end of the 50s the integrated circuits of small size began to be created, which were known as chips and are essential for any type of project, thanks to their multiple functions . It should be noted that the chips are used essentially to store a large number of transistors that are intertwined with each other to perform different electronic activities.
They are found in a ceramic or plastic capsule, having on their external part metal guides that are called pins , which are linked in the inner part.
If at any time you have wondered what they are for, you are not the only one, which is why we will reveal here why you can use this little piece, as well as what are its different benefits . In addition, we will update you on some of its peculiarities and performance , just as we give you some tips to apply when handled.
Index:
What is an integrated circuit and what is it for in electronics and computing?
The integrated circuit (IC), is commonly known with the chip qualifier, that is, it is a small device that stores millions of capacitors and transistors . Generally, they serve to communicate a circuit with another or with some explicit application.
This can be implemented to use it as:
• A speaker.
• An oscillator.
• A timer.
• A meter.
• A computer memory.
• A microcomputer.
Now, these devices are classified as linear or digital, although that will depend on the use you want to use. On the other hand, an integrated circuit is formed by several small elements, so today it is possible for to integrate a transistor with a chip and form a microchip .
The microchip, meanwhile, is an apparatus with thousands of receivers that are formed in a silicon sheet that has a very minimal dimension.
History and evolution of the chips How were they before and how are they now?
The chips were created in the year of 1958 by the engineer Jack St. Clair Kilby, being that at that time it was very common to use electronic elements known as “vacuum ducts”, which were the lamps that were used regularly in TVs and radios . Thus, the first compound integrated circuit was generated as a result, which only took up a little space.
Subsequently, on September 12, 1958, this invention of Jack Kilby was proved with a resounding success, since it had been designed using a small square Germanium tablet , which is a component metal chemical and crystalline turn.
The referred component, had a length of at least about 6 mm and only had a transit, a capacitor and 3 resistors . Now, this great invention made the era of microelectronic devices begin. Its shape was very small so it began to be called chip.
Then, in 2000, this inventor received the Nobel Prize in Physics for creating this technological instrument. The integrated circuits were designed after several types of experiments, which led to the discovery that semiconductors perform actions similar to vacuum tubes.
Its shape has increasingly been designed smaller and smaller, as its manufacturers multiply their transistors every 18 months, as prophesied by Moore’s law .
What are the main features of an integrated circuit?
Among the main features that integrated circuits have are:
FAN OUT
Which are each of the numbers of charges that focus on the output of the gates without neglecting their main function. The outputs of the aforementioned gates provide a restricted amount of current, where its operation is not properly maneuvered, which is why it is said to be overloaded.
Power Dissipation
This is the force needed to be able to handle the gate , which is represented in milliwatts and indicates the power that it must have.
Propagation Delay
This is the period in which the broadcast conversion is postponed and a signal to enter and exit at the moment when the binary signals change their value.
Noise Margin
Is the sound voltage that is added to the chip’s input signal, which does not cause a modification when it is not required. It is usually expressed in volts, there are also 2 types of noise that must be taken into consideration: DC noise and AC noise .
Types and classification of microchips What are all those that exist?
Within the types of microchips we have:
Monolithic circuits
They are manufactured with a single crystal that is composed of silicon.
Hybrid thin-layer circuits
It is a circuit very similar to the monolithic one, since it has pieces that are arduous to make.
Analog and digital
They are commonly used and divided into analog chips, with which the intensity of the signals is increased. There are also digital ones that are like an analog brain that serves as if it were a nervous system. These types of chips are used to develop complex systems .
Microprocessor
This model helped to make the personal computers , being that today they contribute to the development of cell phones, since it helps to perform several essential functions.
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Main limitations of integrated circuits in computer science What can and cannot do?
Integrated circuits have certain physical and economic restrictions in their refinement, which are impediments that have made these devices not improved exactly.
Power dissipation
These devices emit strength, at the moment when each of their elements are united in a correct size. This force can also grow at the time the substrate is heated, which causes the devices to fail.
Also, in several circumstances it has a positive feedback system, so that the higher the temperature rises, the more current will be obtained, which is known as thermal packaging . p>
If this type of packaging is not limited the devices can be destroyed. Well, sound amplifiers and tension mechanisms are prone to these circumstances, so it is recommended that they have a thermal protection .
Power circuits, infallibly, are the ones with the highest level of force that must be dissipated. That is why its capsule has metallic elements inside the chip, so that it can have a thermal conduit and thus send heat to the heatsink or to the environment as such.
The minimization of thermal resistance and the new capsules made with silicone mean that there is greater heat dissipation in minimum capsules.
That is why digital circuits make it possible to solve difficulties when there is a supply voltage, since technologies with low consumption such as CMOS are used.
Displacement and parasitic autoinductions
This essentially refers to the electrical junctions that exist in the chips, in the capsules and in the circuits where they are installed, causing this to limit their execution. If minimum tablets are used, their capacity and their self-induction are reduced.
Limits on components
Among the elements that make up some of the limitations that make the chips not work correctly are:
- Resistors, that are unnecessary because they require a lot of space, that’s why small values and MOS technologies are used .
- Capacitors , where very small percentages can be used since it covers a lot of surface, such as; where a strategic μA741 speaker and its balance tank occupy a large portion of the chip.
- Inductors are usually used for circuits of radio frequency , since they are hybrids and usually do not integrate.
Density of integration
When the integrated circuits are developed, the difficulties are piled up, so that several numbers of their elements having the final version cannot be executed correctly. The moment the chip completes a greater number of devices , those that have difficulties minimize the functional chip balance.
Reason why if a memory circuit is used, thousands of transistors are implemented, because more than those are needed are created, so that the interconnection can be different, making it difficult for the specific organization .
A lack of flexibility
If an integrated circuit does not have the appropriate elasticity , problems in the system hardware are caused, making it difficult to update the programs to be used.
If you want to perform an update, the system must be fully developed, since if this does not run, an obsolete device will be available, which is why to solve this problem empty grooves have been created strong>.
That is why users can increase the functionality of their devices , as well as their performance, without having to acquire a new system. This is why to have a good power to update the devices it is essential that there is limited functionality, so it is necessary that in the end a completely new system is created.