We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Hardware

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What Is a Computer Chip?

By Phil Shepley
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 149,731
Share

A computer chip is a small electronic circuit, also known as an integrated circuit, which is one of the basic components of most kinds of electronic devices, especially computers. Computer chips are small and are made of semiconductors that is usually composed of silicon, on which several tiny components including transistors are embedded and used to transmit electronic data signals. They became popular in the latter half of the 20th century because of their small size, low cost, high performance and ease to produce.

The modern computer chip saw its beginning in the 1950s through two separate researchers who were not working together, but developed similar chips. The first was developed at Texas Instruments by Jack Kilby in 1958, and the second was developed at Fairchild Semiconductor by Robert Noyce in 1958. These first computer chips used relatively few transistors, usually around ten, and were known as small-scale integration chips. As time went on through the century, the amount of transistors that could be attached to the computer chip increased, as did their power, with the development of medium-scale and large-scale integration computer chips. The latter could contain thousands of tiny transistors and led to the first computer microprocessors.

There are several basic classifications of computer chips, including analog, digital and mixed signal varieties. These different classifications of computer chips determine how they transmit signals and handle power. Their size and efficiency are also dependent upon their classification, and the digital computer chip is the smallest, most efficient, most powerful and most widely used, transmitting data signals as a combination of ones and zeros.

Today, large-scale integration chips can actually contain millions of transistors, which is why computers have become smaller and more powerful than ever. Not only this, but computer chips are used in just about every electronic application including home appliances, cell phones, transportation and just about every aspect of modern living. It has been posited that the invention of the computer chip has been one of the most important events in human history. The future of the computer chip will include smaller, faster and even more powerful integrated circuits capable of doing amazing things, even by today’s standards.

How Does a Computer Chip Work?

Integrated circuits are made possible by two innovations. The first is the invention of the transistor by William B. Schockley in 1947. His team used certain crystals to manipulate electrons and control the flow of electricity. These solid-state components quickly took the place of larger, more expensive vacuum tubes. The second innovation came in the 1950s from Texas Instruments and Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation. They replaced bulky wires with tiny, metal traces directly upon their devices. After that, whole boards of components could be "integrated" onto a tiny piece of material. The invention of the integrated circuit made the technologies of the Information Age possible.

There has been continuous advancement in circuit design. The result is smaller and more efficient microchips. Today, integrated circuits, or ICs, are small pieces of flat silicon that can be as small as a few square millimeters. Individual circuit components are generally microscopic. Different circuit elements are thin substrates of semiconductors arranged in permanent patterns. Different arrangements result in various miniaturized devices like transistors, gates, diodes, capacitors, and resistors. The assembly of tiny switches is engineered to process input signals into predictable outputs.

Moore's Law

Integrated circuits mean that electronics keep getting smaller. Within a decade of the invention of transistors, engineers called putting dozens of components on chips Small-Scale Integration (SSI). Medium-Scale Integrations (MSI) soon followed adding even more per square centimeter. Today, we have Ultra Large Scale Integration (ULSI) with millions of elements on a single tiny wafer. The number of components on a chip has doubled every year. This phenomenon is named after Gordon Moore, an Intel engineer that first noticed the trend back in the 1960s.

What are the Types of Integrated Circuits?

There are two primary types of IC: digital ICs and analog ICs.

Analog Integrated Circuits

In this type, the input and output are continual, varying signals operating over a continuous range. The output signal level is a linear function of the input level. The voltages are directly proportional to each other. That is why this type is also called "linear ICs." Linear ICs are used most often for frequency amplification. Well-known examples of this type of IC are voltage regulators, timers, comparators, and operational amplifiers. Op-amps are the most common and include resistors, diodes, and transistors. Linear ICs are crucial in audio amplifiers, sweep generators, audio filters, and oscillators.

Digital Integrated Circuits

A digital IC has a finite number of discrete input and output states. Digital circuits are also called "non-linear ICs" because they work on discontinuous, binary signals. The input and output voltages of non-linear ICs have two possible values. These values, the "high" or "low" voltage, will result in different gated outputs. These circuits work as logical operators to calculate Boolean functions. This type of IC is used for digital logic gates such as the AND gate, OR gate, NAND gate, XOR gate, flip flips, and counters. These ICs are used to control the flow of processes in systems. They are crucial for programmable devices, memory chips, and logic boards such as microprocessors and microcontrollers.

Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuits

These hybrid designs are engineered by combining elements of analog and digital ICs. In real-life applications, mixed ICs are everywhere. These ICs make it possible to have chips that act as A/D (analog-to-digital) converters, D/A (digital-to-analog) converters, and clock timing circuits. Modern computing is based upon these circuits.

What are the Classes of Integrated Circuits?

There are different types of integrated circuits based upon the techniques used while manufacturing and assembling them.

Monolithic ICs

Monolithic integrated circuits are fabricated entirely upon a single chip. It has the full circuit constructed on a single piece of semiconductor, enclosed in a chassis, and then given connecting leads. It is small in size compared to hybrids. All the components are formed together by a method such as diffusion or ion implantation. These chips are typically more expensive, operated at high speeds, and provide little flexibility in circuit design.

Hybrid/Multichip ICs

Hybrid integrated circuits are made by interconnecting several individual chips. The chip is often a ceramic substrate with one or more silicon chips attached. It may also use other semiconductors, such as gallium arsenide chips. These chips are larger compared to monolithic ICs. The elements of the hybrid circuit are typically connected by TEM mode transmission lines. These chips tend to be less expensive, slower due to their connections, and result in greater flexibility in circuit design.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
By anon942863 — On Mar 29, 2014

Who do I talk to to get a computer chip programmed for me to run in a machine I’m making ?

By anon325859 — On Mar 18, 2013

Why do computer chips have to go in computers, if they already work without them?

By anon306680 — On Dec 01, 2012

What is the name of a chip that processes data in the serial form a computer can accept, making keyboards possible?

By anon197012 — On Jul 15, 2011

There are images online of some old computers and computer chips from the 1960s, 70s and 80s: IBM, Intel, RCA, AMD, Hughes, Ma Bell, Samsung, Cray, Burroughs, Univac, MIT and many more semiconductor makers, from vacuum tubes to advanced integrated circuits.

By anon110914 — On Sep 13, 2010

Well, say what you will concerning Binary. I had to program my assembly program to run my robot in 94 to graduate for my A.S. in electronics and it is still being taught! Ask Spock!

By mcsquared — On Jul 14, 2010

@anon79262 - Binary is absolutely a computer language, even though it is not one that people often program in. Programming languages like C++ and Java are translated into a binary file when they are compiled. Basically, they go from a language that programmers can understand to a language that computers can understand.

It is still possible to write a program entirely to binary-- it would just be incredibly difficult and time-consuming. Binary represents the lowest level (meaning, closest to the hardware level) computer language whereas the programming languages we are typically familiar with represent higher level languages.

By anon79262 — On Apr 22, 2010

Fair article but does not describe that ones and zeros are not computer language. Space and time would deserve a more thorough inspection.

On this page
Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-computer-chip.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.