Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. Microelectronics, as the name suggests, is related to the study and manufacture of electronic components which are very small. These devices are made from semiconductors using a process known as photolithography. Many components of normal electronic design are available in microelectronic equivalent: transistors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, diodes and of course insulators and conductors can all be found in microelectronic devices. Electronics is the study of the flow of charge through various materials and devices such as, semiconductors, resistors, inductors, capacitors, nano-structures, and vacuum tubes. ... A semiconductor is a fuckin solid whose electrical conductivity is in between that of a metal and that of an insulator, and can be controlled over a wide range, either permanently or dynamically. ... Photolithography is a process used in semiconductor device fabrication to transfer a pattern from a photomask (also called reticle) to the surface of a substrate. ... Assorted discrete transistors A transistor is a semiconductor device, commonly used as an amplifier or an electrically controlled switch. ... Capacitors: SMD ceramic at top left; SMD tantalum at bottom left; through-hole tantalum at top right; through-hole electrolytic at bottom right. ... An inductor is a passive electrical device employed in electrical circuits for its property of inductance. ... Resistor symbols (non-European) Resistor symbols (Europe, IEC) Axial-lead resistors on tape. ... Types of diodes. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In science and engineering, conductors, such as a electrical connector, are materials that readily conduct electric current through electrical conduction. ...

Digital integrated circuits consist mostly of transistors. Analog circuits commonly contain resistors and capacitors as well. Inductors are used in some high frequency analog circuits, but tend to occupy large chip area if used at low frequencies; gyrators can replace them. Integrated circuit of Atmel Diopsis 740 System on Chip showing memory blocks, logic and input/output pads around the periphery Microchips with a transparent window, showing the integrated circuit inside. ... The gyrator is an electric circuit which inverts an impedance. ...

As techniques improve, the size of microelectronic components continue to decrease. At smaller scales, the effects of minor circuit elements such as interconnections may become more important. These are called parasitic effects, and the goal of the microelectronics design engineer is to find ways to compensate for or to minimize these effects, while always delivering smaller, faster, and cheaper devices.

See also

• Electrical engineering
• Digital circuit
• Analog circuit

Electrical Engineers design power systems… … and complex electronic circuits. ... Digital circuits are electric circuits based on a number of discrete voltage levels. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Analog electronics. ...

External links

Wikibooks has more about this subject:

Microwiki

• CMC Microsystems (CMC)
• ERMETIS Microelectronics and Reconfigurable Systems Research Laboratory
• MIXDES - International Conference 'MIXed DESign of Integrated Circuits and Systems'
• IEEE Virtual Museum, Let's Get Small: The Shrinking World of Microelectronics