How integrated circuits work
Found in every electronic device you own, the integrated circuit is absolutely fundamental to the working of the modern world When the greatest inventions of the 20th century are weighed up for their merits there are few people who think of the integrated circuit. Sure, they often name some of the devices which it has enabled – which isn’t difficult as they are numerous – but rarely do we celebrate the bundle of transistors that was first crudely assembled in 1958. And, you know what, in many ways that is totally understandable. The integrated circuit is by its very small, or – in a more modern and accurate context – nanoscale, nature largely unimpressive. It’s essentially a handful of metal and semiconductor components strapped
Integrated circuits Follow some of the key milestones in the development of the integrated circuit
054 | How It Works
1947
together to perform invisible functions. But it is through these circuits that all modern electrical devices operate, with everything from personal computers through to smartphones and televisions relying on them to perform all number of essential processes. An integrated circuit is an assembly of miniaturised active and passive devices; active examples include transistors and diodes, while passive examples include capacitors and resistors. Together they are built up on a thin substrate of semiconductor material such as silicon (which is where the USA’s chip-making region Silicon Valley gets its name).
The point contact transistor is discovered at Bell Labs. The p-n junction transistor is created the following year.
1952
British electronics engineer Geoffrey Dummer (right) conceives of the integrated circuit. He builds a prototype and presents it at a conference in Washington DC, USA.
Combined, these structures create a computer chip, which typically range from a few millimetres up to a few centimetres (eg CPUs) in size. These chips protect their numerous internal integrated circuits with plastic shells and are combined to create the super-powerful electronic devices many of us couldn’t live without today. In this feature How It Works takes a closer look at the science, manufacturing processes and history of the tiny integrated circuit, charting its development over 60-plus years and contemplating what integrated circuits may have in store for the future.
1958
The first proper integrated circuit is built by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments. It features a transistor, several resistors and a capacitor.
www.howitworksDAiLY.com
General
Medical
Entertainment
Domestic
Communication
Engineering
Gadgets
Electronics
Computing
categories explained
Technology
