Overview
An Integrated Circuit (IC) combines thousands or billions of transistors, resistors, and capacitors into a single, compact package. This integration revolutionized electronics by making devices smaller, faster, and cheaper.
Levels of Integration
- SSI (Small Scale): Tens of transistors.
- MSI (Medium Scale): Hundreds of transistors.
- LSI (Large Scale): Thousands of transistors.
- VLSI (Very Large Scale): Millions to billions of transistors.
Manufacturing
ICs are fabricated using photolithography on silicon wafers. The finished wafer is cut into individual 'dies,' which are then packaged into the chips found on circuit boards.