Integrated Circuit

Another name for a chip, an integrated circuit (IC) is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material. The first integrated circuit was developed in the 1950s by Jack Kilby of Texas Instrumentsand Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor.

Integrated circuits are used for a variety of devices, including microprocessors, audio and video equipment, and automobiles. Integrated circuits are often classified by the number of transistors and other electronic components they contain:

  • SSI (small-scale integration):Up to 100 electronic components per chip
  • MSI (medium-scale integration):From 100 to 3,000 electronic components per chip
  • LSI (large-scale integration):From 3,000 to 100,000 electronic components per chip
  • VLSI (very large-scale integration):From 100,000 to 1,000,000 electronic components per chip
  • ULSI (ultra large-scale integration): More than 1 million electronic components per chip
  • Vangie Beal
    Vangie Beal
    Vangie Beal is a freelance business and technology writer covering Internet technologies and online business since the late '90s.
    Get the Free Newsletter
    Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
    This email address is invalid.
    Get the Free Newsletter
    Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
    This email address is invalid.

    Related Articles

    Virtual Private Network (VPN)

    A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts a device's Internet access through a secure server. It is most frequently used for remote employees accessing a...

    Gantt Chart

    A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule and shows the dependency between tasks and the current schedule...

    Input Sanitization

    Input sanitization is a cybersecurity measure of checking, cleaning, and filtering data inputs from users, APIs, and web services of any unwanted characters and...

    IT Asset Management Software

    IT asset management software (ITAM software) is an application for organizing, recording, and tracking all of an organization s hardware and software assets throughout...

    ScalaHosting

    ScalaHosting is a leading managed hosting provider that offers secure, scalable, and affordable...

    HRIS

    Human resources information system (HRIS) solutions help businesses manage multiple facets of their...

    Best Managed Service Providers...

    In today's business world, managed services are more critical than ever. They can...