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Integrated circuit
- Basic IC types
- Basic semiconductor design
- Designing ICs
- Fabricating ICs
- Building layers
- Deposition
- Building layers
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Alternative Titles: IC, chip, chip circuit, electronic-grade silicon, microchip, microcircuit, microelectronic circuit
Integrated circuit (IC), also called microelectronic circuit, microchip, or chip, an assembly of electronic components, fabricated as a single unit, in which miniaturized active devices (e.g., transistors and diodes) and passive devices (e.g., capacitors and resistors) and their interconnections are built up on a thin substrate of semiconductor material (typically silicon). The resulting circuit is thus a small monolithic “chip,” which may be as small as a few square centimetres or only a few square millimetres. The individual circuit components are generally microscopic in size.
Electronics & Gadgets Quiz
What does fiber optic cable resemble, in terms of size?
Integrated circuits have their origin in the invention of the transistor in 1947 by William B. Shockley and his team at the American Telephone and Telegraph Company’sBell Laboratories. Shockley’s team (including John Bardeen and Walter H. Brattain) found that, under the right circumstances, electrons would form a barrier at the surface of certain crystals, and they learned to control the flow of electricity through the crystal by manipulating this barrier. Controlling electron flow through a crystal allowed the team to create a device that could perform certain electrical operations, such as signal amplification, that were previously done by vacuum tubes. They named this device a transistor, from a combination of the words transfer and resistor. The study of methods of creating electronic devices using solid materials became known as solid-state electronics. Solid-state devices proved to be much sturdier, easier to work with, more reliable, much smaller, and less expensive than vacuum tubes. Using the same principles and materials, engineers soon learned to create other electrical components, such as resistors and capacitors. Now that electrical devices could be made so small, the largest part of a circuit was the awkward wiring between the devices.
In 1958 Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, Inc., and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation independently thought of a way to reduce circuit size further. They laid very thin paths of metal (usually aluminum or copper) directly on the same piece of material as their devices. These small paths acted as wires. With this technique an entire circuit could be “integrated” on a single piece of solid material and an integrated circuit (IC) thus created. ICs can contain hundreds of thousands of individual transistors on a single piece of material the size of a pea. Working with that many vacuum tubes would have been unrealistically awkward and expensive. The invention of the integrated circuit made technologies of the Information Age feasible. ICs are now used extensively in all walks of life, from cars to toasters to amusement park rides.
Basic IC types
Analog versus digital circuits
Analog, or linear, circuits typically use only a few components and are thus some of the simplest types of ICs. Generally, analog circuits are connected to devices that collect signals from the environment or send signals back to the environment. For example, a microphone converts fluctuating vocal sounds into an electrical signal of varying voltage. An analog circuit then modifies the signal in some useful way—such as amplifying it or filtering it of undesirable noise. Such a signal might then be fed back to a loudspeaker, which would reproduce the tones originally picked up by the microphone. Another typical use for an analog circuit is to control some device in response to continual changes in the environment. For example, a temperature sensor sends a varying signal to a thermostat, which can be programmed to turn an air conditioner, heater, or oven on and off once the signal has reached a certain value.
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A digital circuit, on the other hand, is designed to accept only voltages of specific given values. A circuit that uses only two states is known as a binary circuit. Circuit design with binary quantities, “on” and “off” representing 1 and 0 (i.e., true and false), uses the logic of Boolean algebra. (Arithmetic is also performed in the binary number system employing Boolean algebra.) These basic elements are combined in the design of ICs for digital computers and associated devices to perform the desired functions.
Quick Facts
- key people
- related topics
Outsourcing is a business strategy that moves some of an organization’s functions, processes, activities and decision responsibility from within an organization to outside providers. Let’s explore some of the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing.
is done through negotiating contract agreements with a vendor who takes on the responsibility for the production process, people management, quality, customer service and key asset management of the function.
The process can greatly reduce fixed overhead costs of an organization.
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Why do organizations outsource?
Outsourcing allows organizations to focus on their core business and can create a competitive advantage by reducing operational costs.
The beauty of outsourcing is you can outsource an entire function or only a part of it. Image resizer 1 3 – ultimate photo resizer tool free.
As an example, you can outsource the network management oversight of an IT system but keep the end-user support in-house.
This can provide an organization with a good balance of on-site support for employees.
Organizations use outsourcing as a strategic initiative to improve customer service, quality and reduce costs.
Outsourcing can be a permanent or temporary arrangement to bridge the gap in staffing, to learn better quality techniques or improvement of faulty product design.
When looking for outsourcing opportunities, an organization should look at potential areas and each component within that area to determine if part or all of that function should be outsourced.
Different industries outsource different aspects of their businesses, but some common operational functions that get outsourced are:
- Human Resources
- Cleaning Services
- Payroll Services
- Manufacturing
- Order Fulfillment
- Call Center
- Marketing Services
- Accounting Services
Advantages of Outsourcing
Cost Savings
There can be significant cost savings when a business function is outsourced.
Employee compensation costs, office space expenses and other costs associated with providing a workspace or manufacturing setup are eliminated and free up resources for other purposes.
Focus on Core Business
Outsourcing allows the organization to focus on their expertise and core business.
When organizations go outside their expertise, they get into business functions and processes that they may not be as knowledgeable about and could potentially take away from their main focus.
An example of this is when a grocery store decides to add a florist to its operation.
If too much focus is put on that part of the business they lose focus of the core business which is grocery.
Improved Quality
Improved quality can be achieved by using vendors with more expertise and more specialized processes.
An example of this would be contracting out a cleaning service.
An outside service would have the resources for hiring, proper training and facility inspections that may not be available if the function were kept in-house.
Customer Satisfaction
The advantage of having a vendor contract is they are bound to certain levels of service and quality.
An example of this is if your IT function is outsourced and the technician calls in sick, it is the vendor’s responsibility to find someone to replace them and meet your support needs.
Operational Efficiency
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Outsourcing gives an organization exposure to vendor specialized systems.
Specialization provides more efficiency that allows for a quicker turnaround time and higher levels of quality.
Disadvantages of Outsourcing
Quality Risk
Outsourcing can expose an organization to potential risks and legal exposure.
As an example, if a car is recalled for faulty parts and that part was outsourced, the car manufacturer carries the burden of correcting the potentially damaged reputation of the carmaker.
While the vendor would need to make good on the faulty product by contract, the manufacturer still has the black eye from the incident and carries the burden of correcting the negative public perception.
Quality Service
Unless a contract specifically identifies a measurable process for quality service reporting, there could be a poor service quality experience.
Some contracts are written to intentionally leave service levels out to save on costs.
Language Barriers
If a customer call center is outsourced to a country that speaks a different language, there may be levels of dissatisfaction for customers dealing with the language barriers of someone with a strong accent.
Employee/Public Opinion
There can be negative perceptions of outsourcing and the sympathy for lost jobs.
This needs to be managed with sensitivity and grace.
Organizational Knowledge
An outsourced employee may not have the same understanding and passion for an organization as a regular employee.
There is the potential that an outsourced employee will come in contact with customers and not be as knowledgeable of the organization, resulting in a negative customer experience. Floid 1 1 1.
Labor Issues
Organized labor in the United States has very strong feelings about outsourcing to other countries that have a less standard of living and worse working conditions.
This viewpoint can affect how the workforce responds to outsourcing and can affect their daily productivity.
Legal Compliance and Security
It is important that issues regarding legal compliance and security be addressed in informal documentation.
Processes that are outsourced need to be managed to ensure there is diligence with legal compliance and system security. Mindnode pro 1 10 6 1.
An example of this is outsourcing the IT function and having outsourced employees use their access to confidential customer data for their own gain.
Employee Layoffs
Outsourcing commonly results in the need to reduce staffing levels.
Unless it can be planned through attrition, layoffs are inevitable.
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This is difficult at best and if not managed appropriately, can have a negative impact on remaining employees.
Finally, when researching vendors for outsourcing be sure to think through your specific needs and get at least three Requests for Proposals (RFP) to ensure you are getting the best value for your dollar.
Does your organization outsource any of its functions?