Chapter 14. Integrated Circuits (ICs)
The first integrated circuits
In the early days of semiconductors, transistors and other electronic components were available only in individual packages. These discrete components were laid out on a circuit board and connected by hand using separate wires. At that time, an electronic memory element capable of storing a single binary bit of data cost more than $2. By comparison, in the early 1990s, enough logic gates to store 5000 bits of data cost less than a penny.[1] This vast reduction in price was primarily due to the invention of the Integrated Circuit (IC).[2]
1 just did a search on the web as I pen these words. I found a 1-gigabyte memory stick for $9.99, which equates to more than 8.5 million bits ...
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