This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ICs.
As you will see, when all factors are considered, the advantages of an IC outweigh the disadvantages. In general, circuits that have a great deal of redundancy or duplication of specific operations are best suited for IC applications. Computers are a classic example of electronic systems that rely on integrated circuits for internal circuitry. Complex circuits that contain a large number of discrete components are also well suited for IC design considerations. The dollar value of ICs far exceeds the value of discrete circuit components in terms of the function they can perform.
Figure. Integrated Circuits Advantages and Disadvantages
Integrated Circuits (ICs) Advantages
There are a number of advantages that integrated circuits have over standard electronic parts wired in a conventional circuit. These include small size, cost, reliability, low-power operation, and ease of maintenance.
Size __ ICs are becoming so small that hundreds can be manufactured on a piece of material with the size of a shirt button. The industry is predicting much smaller and more complex chips in the future. Chips with a component density of 1 million are available.
Cost __ The cost of an integrated circuit is based largely on its size and component density. By packing more components into less chip area, the cost per component is reduced. Additional savings can be realized when using ICs because fewer parts are needed to order, inventory, and assemble into an operating system.
Reliability __ Perhaps the most important advantage of an IC over discrete-component circuits is reliability. Increased reliability is due to a number of factors. The most significant of these is the reduction of interconnections between components. In earlier discrete-component circuits, up to 50% of circuit failures were related to interconnections between components. IC interconnections are achieved on the chip and formed at the same time during the manufacturing process. If the chip has interconnection problems, they will be detected before it is placed in a completed package.
Low-Power Operation __ The small size of an IC makes it well suited for low-power operation. The closeness of components in the structure reduces stray electrical pickup, allowing for very small signal operation. Low-power operation means lower internal temperature rise, which improves reliability.
Ease of Maintenance __ Since the IC is actually a circuit containing many components, servicing can be achieved by plugging in new chips to replace faulty ones. The faulty chip is then discarded since its repair is not practical.
Integrated Circuits (ICs) Limitations
In spite of the numerous advantages of ICs, they have some very definite limitations, such as low power, low voltage, and limited component selection. These limitations can be altered to some extent by more costly manufacturing techniques and circuit design changes. IC limitations are often considered to be some of the tradeoffs used to accomplish unique advantages. The disadvantages of ICs are low power, low voltage, limited component selection, and limited repair.
Low Power __ The power limitation of an IC is primarily due to its physical size. The current-handling capability of a device determines its heat production. Heat concentrated in a small component may produce temperatures great enough to destroy the device. The size advantage of an IC is actually a tradeoff for its current-handling capacity. A large number of the ICs being manufactured are used only to process information rather than control power. The data output of an IC is often used to control a signal applied to a discrete transistor that is used to control high values of power.
Low Voltage __ The voltage used by ICs must be kept very low because of the weak insulation between circuit elements. Typical voltage ratings are in the range of 5−30 V. If this voltage is exceeded, it generally causes insulation breakdown in some part of the chip. IC voltage values limit applications to signal processing or data manipulation. Although new developments in IC manufacturing have reduced this limitation to some extent, ICs are still considered to be low-voltage devices.
Limited Component Selection __ The component limitation of an IC is primarily due to the use of silicon in its construction. Silicon is ideal for the fabrication of diodes and transistors, but it does not work very satisfactorily for other components. Resistors, for example, cannot be fabricated to very precise values with silicon. Resistance value tolerances are very high when silicon is used in their production. As a rule, higher resistance values occupy more space than small values. A 40-kΩ resistor, for example, takes the same amount of space as that needed for five transistors. Capacitance poses an even more significant space problem in IC design than a resistor. Capacitance of any size occupies a rather significant amount of space. A 20-pF capacitor takes the same space needed to fabricate 10 or more transistors. In general, most ICs do not employ capacitors except for those of an extremely small value. Similarly, inductors and transformers are almost impossible to construct on an IC. Component limitations are one of the serious drawbacks of IC use. Unique circuit designs have solved these limitations to some extent.
Limited Repair __ Another limitation of the IC is based on the repair of its components. When one specific component becomes defective, it cannot be replaced. This means that the entire IC must be replaced when only one component becomes faulty. The large number of good components that remain on the faulty chip cannot be recovered and used for other applications. The faulty chip must be discarded and replaced with a good one to make the circuit functional. This disadvantage is not as bad as it may appear. The process of locating a faulty IC is much easier than locating a faulty component in a complex circuit. As a rule, the additional cost of a new IC is offset by reduced labor costs in the servicing procedure. This simplifies the servicing procedure and reduces the down time of equipment. It also reduces the equipment and spare-part inventory.
Review Questions
- Size, cost, reliability, low-power operation, and ease of maintenance are some of the unique (advantages, disadvantages) of an IC.
- The reduced number of interconnections between components in an IC is a contributing factor to the IC’s _____.
- When a single component of an IC becomes faulty, the entire chip must be (repaired, discarded).
- The electrical _____ consumed by an IC is generally quite low.
- ICs generally require low _____ to operate.
- Most ICs are designed to process _____ instead of controlling power.
- The operational voltages on an IC are in the range of _____ V to _____ V.
- The internal circuitry of an IC relies heavily on the use of _____ and _____.
Answers
- advantages
- reliability
- discarded
- power
- voltage
- information, data, or signals
- 5, 30
- diodes, transistors (any order)
Key Takeaways
- The advantages of ICs are small size, cost, reliability, low-power operation, and ease of maintenance.
- The disadvantages of ICs are low power, low voltage, and limited component selection.