Electronics deals with electrical circuits that use active power devices like diodes & transistors and passive links to make the active components work. Electronics is credited with the fast transformation of technology and world in the industrial era. Electronics has evolved from a very premature and crude stage to a well advanced and sophisticated stage over the years. This development has been achieved in different stages over the years and not in a short span of time.
History
With the discovery of electricity, large scale production of electric power led to the emergence of the electronics. The early electronics consisted of simple applications like telegraphy and gramophone only. The invention of vacuum tubes benefited the electronic industry. This led to the invention of gadgets and instruments like radios and other important devices. Since those days, major changes have taken place in technology keeping them in track with the needs of the consumer and the industry.
Moore’s law
Moore’s law is based on the observation of the fact that the number of transistors in a dense electronic integrated circuit will become double in approximately every two years. The law has held its credibility over the years and the development of the electronic devices is in accordance with the law that Gordon E. Moore gave in 1965.
First generation – vacuum tubes
The first generation of the electronics developed during 1945-1955. This era was remarkable due to invention vacuum tubes.
These tubes achieved the control of current in vacuum by controlling the emission of electrons from filaments. Depending upon the method used to isolate electrons from the filament, they were called photo electrons, thermal electrons, etc. The vacuum tubes could be used as switches and amplifiers based on the application.
The vacuum tubes were classified based on the number of electrodes as follows:
- Diodes
- Triodes
- Tetrode
- Pentode
The structures were bulky and generated a lot of heat occasionally, which sometimes hindered the expected performance of the device. Therefore, bulky heat sinks had to be used. In addition to that they were prone to regular wear and tear. Therefore, they had to be replaced periodically. The problem of arcing between the electrodes was yet another problem. With the invention of transistors, the vacuum tubes became a thing of past.
Second generation- transistors
The second generation is marked with the invention and rise of transistors. With the benefits of small size, better heat dissipation capabilities, reliability and speed of operation, they took over the place of of vacuum tubes in electronics.
Transistors are basically semiconductor solid state devices having three terminals or regions doped in different concentrations. Emitter is used to provide the supply and collector is used to collect it. The base was responsible for the switching action of the transistor. Hence transistor can act in two modes viz as a switch or as an amplifier.
They were having a few minor drawbacks of heat resistant capabilities and their limitation to high frequency applications.
Third generation-integrated circuits
The third generation transistors led to the development and usage of Integrated Circuits (IC). An IC was generally fabricated by embedding a large number of transistors in a small place. Starting with small scale integration (SSI), the technology rose to the heights of Very-large-scale integration (VLSI, ULSI) and 3D-IC. It led to the inventions of multiple electronic innovations like microprocessors and micro-controllers, which revolutionized the field of computer manufacture.
- SSI (Small Scale Integration) : 10s of logic gates or transistors. Eg: Plessei SL201
- MSI (Medium Scale Integration) : 100s of transistors on a chip.
- LSI (Large Scale Integration) : 1000s of transistors per chip
- VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) : 100s of 1000s of transistors on a single chip.
- ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) : more than one million transistors.
- WSI (Wafer Scale Integration) : The entire silicon wafer is embedded with a very large integrated circuit on a single chip called “super-chip” primarily meant for parallel supercomputing.
- SOC (System on chip): It is the fabrication of the entire circuitry required for a system on a single chip. Very complex and costly process and risky also.
- 3D-IC (Three dimensional integrated circuit): The electronic components are arranged horizontally as well as vertically in different layers. The communication between the layers takes place through die signaling or through small wire links.
The invention of microprocessors and micro-controllers provided extra heights to the electronic industry with improved computers and automation.
Artificial intelligence – a step ahead
This technology is aimed at providing human like thinking capabilities to machinery. Micro-controllers are programmed directing the system to perform in a particular manner depending upon the feedback from the parameters. Artificial Intelligence aims at creating a machinery and electronics, which have the capability to take independent and situation based decisions and act accordingly as humans do creating a race for “Intelligent Machines”.
Artificial intelligence is based on the pillars of perception, reasoning, planning and learning. Research is going on to get a better grasp of the technology so that it could be used for the benefit of all.
