Semiconductors, Transistors, and Gates
Notes
Today we look at the fundamental ideas behind the design of computer
chips.
- A transistor is an electronic switch which either creates or breaks
a connection along a wire.
- Semiconductor technology allows one to make transistors
which are small enough to pack hundreds of millions of them
onto a single computer chip.
- By combining transistors one can create logic gates and
memory circuits.
- By combining logic gates and memory circuits one can create
CPUs and Memory chips.
The main ideas in the lecture are covered in sections 1,2, and 3 of
the online
ChipWise VLSI Tutor, which is hosted by The ECAD Laboratory, University of Kent at
Canterbury Canterbury, Kent, UK
Other related links: