Integrated circuits have several advantages over individual, or discrete, components.
Compactness
An obvious asset of IC design is economy of space; ICs are far more compact than equivalent circuits made from individual transistors, diodes, capacitors, and resistors. A corollary to this is the fact that far more complex circuits can be built, and kept down to a reasonable size, using ICs as compared with discrete components. Thus, you
see notebook computers, also known as laptops, with capabilities more advanced than early computers that took up whole rooms.
High speed
Another corollary to the compactness of ICs is the fact that the interconnections among components are physically tiny, making high switching speeds possible. Electric currents travel fast, but not instantaneously. The less time charge carriers need to get from
component X to component Y, in general, the more computations are possible within a given span of time, and the less time is needed for complex operations.
Low power requirement
Another advantage of ICs is that they use less power than equivalent discrete-component circuits. This is especially important if batteries are to be used for operation. Because ICs use so little current, they produce less heat than their discrete-component equivalents.
This translates into better efficiency. It also minimizes the problems that plague equipment that gets hot with use, such as frequency drift and generation of internal noise.
Reliability
Integrated circuits fail less often, per component-hour of use, than appliances that make use of discrete components. This is mainly a result of the fact that all interconnections are sealed within the IC case, preventing corrosion or the intrusion of dust. The reduced failure rate translates into less downtime, or time during which the equipment is out of service for repairs.
Ease of maintenance
Integrated-circuit technology lowers maintenance costs, mainly because repair procedures are simplified when failures do occur.
Many appliances use sockets for ICs, and replacement is simply a matter of finding the faulty IC, unplugging it, and plugging in a new one. Special desoldering equipment is used with appliances having ICs soldered directly to the circuit boards.
Modular construction
Modern IC appliances use modular construction. In this scheme, individual ICs perform defined functions within a circuit board; the circuit board or card, in turn, fits into a socket and has a specific purpose. Computers, programmed with customized software, are used by repair technicians to locate the faulty card in an appliance. The whole card can be pulled and replaced, getting the appliance back to the consumer in the shortest possible time. Then the computer can be used to troubleshoot the faulty card, getting the card ready for use in the next appliance that happens to come along with a failure in the same card.
Modular construction can theoretically be used with discrete component design. But this is rarely done. When a device is sophisticated enough to need modular construction, IC design is usually needed to keep the size within reason. Can you envision
several people, or perhaps a crane, pulling and replacing a 500-pound, 10-by-15-foot card from an appliance as big as a house?
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