Integrated Circuits

An integrated circuit is a small piece of silicon that has been engineered by a process similar to contact printing to manipulate electrical signals. Generally IC's are about the size of a square inch, however they may be smaller. Silicon is the main constituent of Integrated Circuits. Silicon is a semiconductor which is a type of solid that has the ability to conduct electricity.
The first integrated circuit was developed in 1958 by Texas Instruments. It was made out of a thin slice of germanium and contained a single transistor, 4 input/output terminals, a ground, and wires of gold. They are about 0.040 X 0.062 inches.