The power of microelectronics

The article analyzes the impact on science and technology of microelectronics and specifically of the very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits. The main advantages of VLSI circuits are their small size and low cost. Miniaturization of computer circuitry has increased the efficiency of computer technology in its applications such as aircraft guidance systems, telecommunications, data-processing centers, and pocket calculators. At present, research is being conducted into the number and size of individual components which can be placed on a VLSI chip of usually 8 x 5 mm and it is expected that components of submicron dimensions will be developed, leading to packing of more than 1 billion components on one chip, thus achieving even more complex systems in hardware and simpler in software. Work on computers using VLSI technology is underway, making it possible to recognize a human voice and respond to commands. The low cost and small size of integrated circuits has decreased by a factor of about 1,000 over the last 20 years lowering considerably the cost of large computers. Finally, computer-aided design (CAD) used as a tool in the design of even the most complex circuits using VLSI chips, is discussed.