How many IC are there?
Digital circuit chips mainly include the following 7 categories:
1. Logic PCB circuit:
The international general series of logic circuit chips include 74 series, 40 series, 54 series, manufacturer compatible series, non-series dedicated circuits, etc. Logic circuits are basically composed of AND gates, OR gates and NOT gate circuits. Therefore, these series of circuits are also called combinational logic PCB circuits.
The metal base printed board circuit is used for the judgment that "several input conditions exist at the same time will have a result, otherwise there will be no result"; the OR circuit is used for "several input conditions as long as one exists, there will be a result, if none exists, there will be no result" Judgment; the NOT circuit is used for the judgment of "the existence of the input condition will result in no result, and the input condition will have the result if the input condition does not exist".
The combination of these judgments and processing can handle very complex control and calculation problems.
A large number of logic circuit chips can theoretically realize the functions of a complex system, such as computers and switches. But today, the integration of chips is very high. Many self-contained logic circuits can be integrated inside the chip, and a chip can also implement very complex functions, and no one wants to use a large number of small chips to implement a large system.
The current logic circuit chips are only used in small electronic products and in connection metal core printed board between general large originality electronics IC in large systems.
2. General-purpose processors (CPU, GPU, DSP, APU, etc.):
The general-purpose processor is composed of a large number of logic circuits, which includes control, storage, operation, input and output, etc., forming a complete data and information processing system. It is the largest and most complex type of digital circuit Electronic Components.
Therefore, general-purpose processors are classified as huge-scale integrated circuits.
It is characterized by constantly innovating in accordance with Moore's Law and forming several product series. For example, Intel and AMD's X86 series, IBM's PowerPC series, ARM RISC series, etc., each series has produced more than 20-30 chip models, and the average market life of each model is about 2 years.
General-purpose processors are called the brain and center of electronic products and information systems. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology, the traditional CPU structure can no longer meet the requirements of artificial intelligence systems for information storage, calculation and reasoning, and innovative products of new processor structure continue to appear.
Memory is a chip used to store data and information. It can be subdivided into static memory (SRAM), dynamic memory (DRAM, LPDDRX), programmable read-only memory (PROM), flash memory (Flash) and embedded memory (Embedded Memory).
SRAM is used to store data in electronic products. It keeps the data unchanged during the power-on process, and the data is lost after the power is off; DRAM keeps the data unchanged through regular refresh during the power-on process, and the data is lost after the power is off; Flash keeps the data unchanged during the power-on process. The data will not be lost even if the power is turned off; once the PROM is written with data by special means, it will not be lost regardless of whether it is powered on or not.
The first two are called volatile memories, and the latter two are called non-volatile memories. The above types of memories can be packaged into independent memory chips, or they can be designed in CPU, MCU, SoC, and are called embedded memories.
4. Single chip system (SoC):
The monolithic system is to integrate all an electronic system into a single chip. As long as a power supply and a small amount of external circuits are added to the SoC chip, a complete electronic product or system function can be realized. For example, audio and video players (MP4), car navigators, mobile phones, etc. can all be implemented with a SoC chip and a small number of external components.
The SoC chip is generally composed of CPU core, embedded memory, I/O interface and other parts. SoC chips are dedicated system-level chips designed for specific application areas, such as medical equipment, automotive electronics, meter reading systems, smart phones, smart TVs and other fields.
SoC chips are not as versatile as CPU chips and can only be used in this application area.
5. Microcontroller (MCU):
A microcontroller is a simplified version of a general-purpose processor (CPU), also known as a single-board computer or a single-chip computer. MCUs are generally used in relatively simple and small electronic products or systems to implement simple control and data processing tasks. But in large-scale systems, many MCUs can also be used to complete complex control tasks.
MCU chips have a wide range of applications, from the control of sprinklers, rice cookers, refrigerators, etc., to the control of instruments, meters, industrial automation production lines, etc., to large-scale applications: system control of high-speed railways, airplanes, etc.
Electronic systems built with MCU or SOC chips as the core are also called embedded systems, and MCUs and SOCs are also called embedded microprocessors.
6. Customized circuit (ASIC):
Demand determines supply. When users do not want to use general-purpose chips but want to customize a chip according to their own application requirements, this kind of chip is called a fully customized chip.
The typical representative is the second-generation ID card chip. Some manufacturers adopt the method of customizing ASIC for their products, one is to protect the technical details and know-how of the product, and the other is that ASIC will be more suitable for the needs of the product.
7. Programmable logic device (PLD) (including PLD, PAL, GAL, FPGA, etc.):
The above types of chips are called fixed logic circuit chips, and their functions are fixed after production, and no major changes can be made. If you need to improve and upgrade, you must first modify the design, and then hand over to the foundry to re-produce. The cost of modification and re-production is very high, and only chips with high demand are developed in accordance with the fixed logic circuit model. Chips that require a small number of updates and upgrade possibilities need to be developed in accordance with the model of programmable logic devices.
Programmable logic devices are general-purpose chips before programming, and manufacturers can mass produce them to meet application requirements in different fields. After programming, it becomes a dedicated chip, which only meets special applications in a specific field. Therefore, PLD chips are also called semi-custom chips
