In order for any more or less sophisticated electronics to work, usually a lot of details are needed. When there are a lot of them, then they can be "combined", say, into integrated circuits. What are they? How are classified? How are they made and what signals are transmitted?
What are logic integrated circuits (ICs)
In fact, this is a microelectronic device that is based on a crystal of arbitrary complexity, which is made on a semiconductor film or plate. It is placed in a non-separable case (although it can do without it, but only when it is part of a microassembly). The first integrated circuit was patented in 1968. This was a kind of breakthrough in the industry, although the device provided did not correspond very much to modern ideas in terms of its parameters. Integrated circuits for the most part are made for surface mounting. Often, IP is understood only as a crystal or film. The most widely used integrated circuit on a silicon wafer. It turned out that its application in industry has a number of advantages, for example, signal transmission efficiency.
Design levels
These devices are complex, which is perfectly displayed. Now they are created using special CAD systems that automate and significantly accelerate production processes. So, when designing, we are working on:
- Logical level (inverters, NAND, OR NOT and the like).
- System and circuitry (triggers, encoders, ALU, comparators, etc. are being worked out) ;.
- Electric (capacitors, transistors, resistors and similar devices).
- Topological level - photomasks for production.
- Physical - how one transistor (or a small group) is realized on a chip.
- Software - instructions are created for microcontrollers, microprocessors and FPGAs. A behavior model is being developed using a vertical diagram.
Classification
Speaking of how integrated circuits are distinguished, it is impossible to choose only one parameter of the type of complexity of the technique in question. Therefore, as part of the article, as many as three were selected.
Degree of integration
So, here the number of elements in the crystal is considered to be fundamental:
- Small integrated circuit. Contains less than one hundred elements.
- The average integrated circuit. The number of elements varies in the range of a hundred / thousand.
- Large integrated circuit. Contains from a thousand to 10,000 elements.
- Extra large integrated circuit. They have over ten thousand elements.
Typically, for home appliances a large integrated circuit is often used. Other categories were previously used:
- Ultra-large integrated circuit. It enrolled those samples that could boast of a number of elements in the range from 1 million to 1 billion.
- Gigabyte integrated circuit. These included samples, the number of elements of which exceeded 1 billion elements.
But at the moment, they are not applied. And all the samples that were previously referred to as UBIS and GBIS now pass as VLSI. In general, this allowed significant savings on the number of groups, since the latter two types are usually used specifically in large research centers where computer systems operate, the power of which is measured in tens and hundreds of terabytes.
Manufacturing technology
Due to the different production possibilities, integrated circuits are also classified by how they are made and from which:
1. Semiconductor. In them, all elements and compounds are made on the same semiconductor chip. Semiconductor integrated circuits use materials such as silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide and hafnium oxide.
2. Film. All elements and connections are made as films:
- Thick film.
- Thin film.
3. Hybrid. It has frameless diodes, transistors or other electronic active components. Passive (such as resistors, inductors, capacitors) are placed on a common ceramic substrate. All of them are placed in one sealed enclosure.
4. Mixed. There is not only a semiconductor crystal, but also thin-film (or thick-film) passive elements that are placed on its surface.
Type of processed signal
And the third, most recent form, is based on what signals the integrated circuit processes. They are:
- Analogue Here, the input and output signals vary according to the law of continuous function. They can range from negative to positive supply voltage.
- Digital Here, any input or output signal can have two values: a logical unit or zero. Each of them has its own predetermined voltage level. So, TTL type microcircuits evaluate the range 0-0.4V as zero, and 2.4-5V as one. There may be other divisions, it all depends on the specific sample.
- Analog-digital. Combine the advantages and features of previous samples. For example, they may include signal amplifiers and analog-to-digital converters.
Legal features
What is said about integrated circuits in the law? In our country, legal protection is provided for topologies of integrated circuits. By it is meant the geometrical-spatial arrangement of a certain combination of specific elements and relationships between them fixed on a specific material medium (according to Article 1448 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation). The author of the topology has the following intellectual rights to his invention:
- Copyright.
- Exclusive right.
In addition, other preferences may belong to the topology author, including the possibility of receiving rewards for its use. The exclusive right is valid for ten years. During this time, the inventor, or the person to whom this status was assigned, can register the topology with the corresponding service of intellectual property and patents.
Conclusion
That's all! If you have a desire to assemble your scheme - you can only wish success. But at the same time I want to draw your attention to one feature. If you want to assemble a chip, then you need to thoroughly prepare for this process. The fact is that its creation requires exceptional cleanliness at the level of the surgical operating room, in addition, due to the fineness of the details, working with a soldering iron in the normal mode will not work - all actions are carried out by machines. Therefore, at home, you can only create schemes. If you wish, you can purchase industrial designs that will be offered on the market, but the idea of making them at home without significant finance is better left.