What is Integrated Circuit: Types, Uses, & Applications of Integrated Circuit?

We have observed over the years that technology has changed continuously and managed to squeeze itself into a more compact and concise structure. Let’s take an example of the primary computers that were made were the dimensions of a warehouse of 1000 laptops which we use today. Think about how this has been made possible? The answer to it is integrated circuits.

The circuits that were made previously were very large and bulky, which consists of circuit components like resistor, transistor, diodes, capacitor, inductor,  etc. which were connected alongside copper wires. This factor limited the utilization of the circuits to big machines. It was impossible to make small and compact appliances with these big circuits. Moreover, they weren’t entirely shockproofed and reliable.

As stated, necessity is the mother of all inventions, similarly, the newest technologies all are the result of it. There was a requirement to develop circuits of smaller size with more power and safety to incorporate them into devices. Once there were three American scientists who invented transistors which simplified things to quite an extent, but it was the development of integrated circuits that changed the face of electronics technology.

What is Integrated Circuit? 

An integrated circuit (IC), sometimes it can be called a chip or a microchip is a series of transistors that are placed on silicon. An integrated circuit is too small in size, when it is compared to the standard circuits which are made of the independent circuit components, it is about the size of a fingernail. IC is a semiconductor wafer (also called a thin slice of semiconductor, such as crystalline silicon) on which thousands or millions of tiny resistors, capacitors, and transistors are fabricated.

Modern electronic circuits aren’t made up of individual, means they can not be made up of separated components as once was the case. Instead, many small circuits are embedded in a single complex piece of silicon and other materials called an integrated circuit(IC), or chip or microchip. The manufacture of integrated circuits starts with a simple circular wafer of silicon several inches across.

Firstly designers made drawings of exactly where each element in each part of the circuit is to go so that the processing would become easy. A photograph of each diagram is then reduced in size repeatedly to supply a small photolithographic mask.

The silicon wafer is coated with a material called a photoresist that undergoes a chemical process when exposed to ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light shown through the mask onto the photoresist creates an equivalent pattern on the wafer as similar to that mask. Then solvents etch into the parts of the resist that were exposed to the light, leaving the other parts intact. Then another layer of a silicon material doped with some impurities so that it is laid down on top of the wafer, and another pattern is etched in by a similar technique.

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The result of these operations is a multilayered circuit, with many millions of tiny transistors, resistors, and conductors created within the wafer. The wafer is then broken apart along prestressed lines into many identical square or rectangular chips, that’s the end of integrated circuits.

History of the Integrated Circuit

The invention of IC (Integrated Circuit) firstly started with the vacuum tubes, the first vacuum tube was invented by John Ambrose Fleming in 1897 is known as vacuum diode and Fleming also gave a left-hand rule for motors.

Then in the year 1906, a new vacuum was developed which is known as Triode which is used for amplification.

Then almost 40 years later William Shockley at Bell Labs invented the transistor in the year of 1947, which started a replacement era in the electronics industry. Transistors replace those bulky vacuum tubes partially not completely because the transistors are small in size and use less power to operate as well application appliances demand less power.

Then in the year of 1959 IC (integrated circuit) was developed. Integrated circuit IC, during which many numbers of components can be fabricated on one silicon wafer. IC takes low power to work and provides smooth output. As time passes the number of transistors on IC also increases according to the time.

Evolution of Integrated Circuit IC from SSI, MSI, LSI to VLSI

 The classification of Integrated Circuit can be done based on the sizes of the chip and integration scale.

• Firstly, in the year of 1961 to1965 in Small scale integration, SSI transistors were fabricated about 10 to 100 on a single chip. This technology is used for creating logic gates and flip-flops.
• Then in the years of 1966-1970 in Medium scale integration, MSI transistors were fabricated about 100 to 1000 on a single chip. This technology is used for creating counters, multiplexers, and decoders.
• In the years of 1971-1979 in Large scale integration LSItransistors were fabricated about 1000 to 20000 on a single chip. This technology is used for creating microprocessor, RAM, ROM
• In the years of 1980-1984 in large-scale integration, VLSI transistors were fabricated about 20000 to 50000 on a single chip. This technology is used for creating DSP (digital signal processing) IC’s, RISC microprocessors, 16-bit and 32-bit microprocessors.
• In 1985 the Ultra large scale integration ULSI was introduced, in which transistors are fabricated about greater than 50 thousand to billions on a single chip. This technology is used for creating 64-bit microprocessors.

Limitations of Different Types of Integrated Circuits

 The limitation of different types of Integrated Circuit ICs includes the following:

• Limited power rating as it isn’t possible to manufacture high power greater than 10 Watt) I.
• In the integrated circuit, various components are a part of a semiconductor which is small and therefore the individual component or other components can’t be removed and replaced, therefore, if any of the components in an IC fails, the entire IC has been replaced by the new one.
• There is a need of connecting inductors and transformers exterior to the conductor chip because it may not be possible to fabricate inductors and transform on the semiconductor chip surface.
• It functions at a low voltage that means Operations of IC takes place at fairly low voltage.
• It is quite delicate i.e delicately handle the function as these cannot withstand rough handling or excessive heat.
• There is also a need of connecting the capacitor exterior to the semiconductor chip because it is neither convenient nor economical to fabricate capacitances exceeding 30pF. For the higher values of capacitance, discrete components and exterior to IC chips are connected.
• High-grade P-N-P assembly isn’t possible.
• A low-temperature coefficient is difficult to achieve.
• Difficult to fabricate an IC with low noise.
• A large value of saturation resistance of transistors.
• Voltage dependence of resistors and capacitors.
• The processes used in the fabrication process such as diffusion and other related procedures aren’t adequate to allow a certain control of the parameter values for the circuit elements. However, control of the ratios of the process is at a sufficiently acceptable level.

 Basic Types of Integrated Circuit

 There are various types of Integrated Circuit, here are some of the basic types of integrated circuits are:

1. Digital Integrated Circuit: It comes in a sort of subtypes, among them programmable ICs, memory chips, like logic ICs, power-management ICs, and interfaces ICs. Its function is to operate at a small number of specified signal amplitude levels. They operate using logic gates that change the circuit activity and can be introduced in a “yes/no ” or “on/off” manner. Digit ICs are using the old computer standby, binary data, which is only “0” (low or absent logic) and “1” (high or complete logic) as permissible values.

 2. Analog Integrated Circuit: Analog, or linear, ICs typically use only a couple of components and are thus some of the only types of ICs. Generally, analog circuits are connected to devices that receive signals from the environment or send signals back to the environment. Let’s take an example of a microphone, a microphone converts fluctuating vocal sounds into an electrical signal of varying voltage. Then these circuits modify the signal in some useful way—such as amplifying it or filtering it of undesirable noise.

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 3. Mixed Analog-Digital Integrated Circuit: In this, both types of Integrated Circuit are included. Thus the systems that convert analog data to digital data or the opposite way around, you will now find these mixed ICs. The whole concept of Mixed IC is to integrating digital and analog components on the same chip is the newer technology than IC technologies itself. Examples of Mixed integrated circuits are clocks and other timing devices as well. Additionally, ICs are often placed in categories apart from the digital-versus-analog distinction.

 4. Logic Gate Integrated Circuit: Logic Gates Integrated Circuits are combinational circuits that give a logical output based on different input signals. It can have two to three inputs, but only one output. Common examples of these are the Transistor-Transistor Logic (TTL) 7400 series Integrated Circuit and the 4000 series CMOS Integrated Circuit. ICs 7408, a quad 2 input and gate, available in Plastic Dual in Line Package, is a TTL integrated circuit.

 5. Switching Integrated Circuit: We can guess their function as their name suggests – as parts of switches, or in the circuit parlance, in “switching operations.” In an electric switch, the interruption of current or the introduction of current that wasn’t previously present can trigger a switch, which itself is nothing quite a change in a given condition that can take two or more forms. For example, some electric fans or other devices have low, medium, and high settings. So the switches can participate in one or more than one circuit.

 6. Timer Integrated Circuit: A Timer Integrated Circuits is a monolithic ICs, which produces accurate time cycles with a 100 or 50 percent duty cycle that keeps track of elapsed time. The primary Timer ICs were developed by Signetic Corporation in the year 1970. Now the widely used Timer IC is the 555 Timer IC, which can be used in 8-pin or 14-pin configurations. It can be used as a pulse generator and also an Oscillator. A common example of it is a digital stopwatch.

 7. Amplifier Integrated Circuit: Amplifier ICs are available in two types: audio and operational. An operational Amplifier is a high voltage amplifier with a differential of various inputs but one ended output. The amplifier consists of an inverting and a non-inverting input. Audio Amplifier ICs are what make music louder or softer on a market sound system or you may increase or decrease the volume in devices that incorporate the sound of any sort, like a television set, smartphone, or PCs.

 Types of IC Packages

 IC packaging indicates the dimension and shape of an integrated circuit or chip or microchip. Here, we’ll study the various IC package types and where they can be useful. The IC packages are divided into two types based on the mounted on a circuit board.

• Through-Hole Mount Packages: These are the packages that are designed in such a way that the lead pins are stuck through one side of the board and smoldered on the other side. They’re bigger as compared to the other kinds of packages. These are majorly used in electronic equipment to catch up on the board space and price limitations. One of the most popular examples of this is Dual inline packages.

• Dual Inline Packages (DIP): The most significantly used IC packages are Dual Inline Packages (DIP). Similar to in 28 pins ATmega328, the pins are placing parallel to each other so that it’s extending perpendicularly and laid out on a rectangular black plastic housing. The pins are spaced at 0.1 inches. There are many types of Dual Inline Packages DIP.

• Plastic Dual In-Line Package (PDIP): The Plastic Dual In-line Package, or PDIP, is one among the most mature plastic IC packages still in use today. It’s rectangular and has leads extending from each side along its length, thus forming two sets of in-line pins. The PDIP comes in two body widths, which means 300 mils and 600 mils.

• Molded Dual In-Line Package (MDIP): It is further divided into standard, skinny, and shrink packages.

• CER-DIP: Ceramic Dual inline packages in which the lead pitch is 2.54mm and the body is molded with the material ceramics.

• Zig-Zag in Line Packages (ZIP): The pins in this kind of package lie perpendicularly to the circuit board. These pins are perpendicularly aligned within the package and closer to each other. This type of packaging was short-lived and was mainly used in dynamic RAM chips.

• Surface Mount Packaging: It follows the process of mounting or placing the components directly on the circuit board surface. Although this process of fabrication helps do things quickly, it also increases the probability of defects. this is often due to the miniaturization of components and also because they’re mounted extremely close to one another. Surface mount packaging uses ceramic or plastic molding.

It can be divided into various more types:

• Small outline L-leaded package (SOP): In this package, the pins are connected as L shape from both sides of the body, the materials used are plastic and ceramic. Additionally to being used for memory LSI, SOP is also widely used in circuits that are not too large. The pin pitch is SOP about 1.27mm.
• Quad Flat L-leaded Packages (QFP): In Quad Flat L-leaded Packages (QFP) leads are led out from four sides in an L-shape, the materials used are ceramic, metal, and plastic, among which, plastic packaging accounts for the vast majority. They come with a heat sink and built-in heat spreader.
• Ball Grid Array (BGA): In this packages, spherical bumps are formed on the rear surface of the printed substrate to switch the lead, and also the LSI chip is mounted off the PCB board from the front surface, then lastly sealed by a molding resin or a potting method, the pins can exceed up to 200.
• Fine Pitch Land Grid Array: These kinds of Packages have solder land arrays on the back surface of printed circuit boards.

  Advantages of Integrated Circuit 

• Extremely small in size. It is because in the fabrication process IC is used for the integration of active and passive components onto a silicon chip, then the IC becomes a lot smaller than the actual size. When it is compared to a discrete circuit, it may be considered a thousand times smaller.
• Having very low weight. Due to their small size, the weight also reduces owing to a miniaturized circuit.
• The production cost will be very low and less time-consuming due to the simultaneous production of many similar circuits on a small semiconductor wafer.
• More reliable- this is because of the elimination of soldered joints and the need for fewer interconnections.
• Lower power consumption due to their smaller size.
• Easy replacement as it is more economical to exchange or replace them than to repair them.
• Due to the absence of parasitic capacitance affect the operating speed will increase.
• Close matching of components and temperature coefficients due to bulk production in batches.
• Integrated circuits now have improved functional performance as the circuits are more complex and can be fabricated for achieving better characteristics.
• Greater ability to operate at extreme temperatures.
• Suitable for small signal operation due to no chance of any stray electrical pickup as various components of an INC are fabricated very near to one another on a silicon wafer.
• There will not be any external projections as all the components are inside the chip. 

Disadvantages of Integrated Circuit

• Some of the complex ICs are expensive and if such complex ICs are used roughly then there may be a chance of faults and if any component of the ICs fails then they have to be replaced by a new one as they cannot be repaired because the individual components inside the IC are too small.
• Limited power rating as power rating for most of the IC’s doesn’t exceed over 10 watts. Thus it’s impossible to manufacture high-power IC’s.
• Transformers and inductors can’t be integrated into an IC. Hence, they need to be connected externally to the semiconductor pins.
• High-grade P-N-P assembly isn’t possible.
• The IC won’t work properly if wrongly handled or exposed to excessive heat.
• It is quite difficult to attain a low-temperature coefficient.
• It’s impossible to fabricate capacitors that exceed the value of 30pF. Need to connect high-value capacitors externally to the IC.
• There’s a large value of saturation resistance of transistors.

 Applications and Uses of Integrated Circuits

 Integrated Circuits are used in different forms with different shapes and sizes. The uses of the Integrated circuit includes:

• Radar
• Wristwatches
• Computers
• Video processor
• Televisions
• Logic devices
• Juice makers
• Memory devices
• Audio amplifiers
• Microwave amplifiers
• Small signal amplifiers
• Radiofrequency decoders and encoders
• Voltage regulators
• Timers
• Clock chips
• Calculators
• Flip flops
• Memory chips
• Counters
• Temperature sensors
• Microcontrollers