Integration (technology)
As integration (which, of Latin integrare , restore ') is known in the art the merger of individual units or components of a system in a more complex object that performs the same functions.
Examples
(Microelectronics
A simple example of integration from the field of electronics or microelectronics is the combination of discrete electronic components such as transistors to form a complex circuit on a single substrate , so-called integrated circuits (IC). As the number of individual components in such an IC increases, the degree of integration of the IC increases . In addition, circuits with different functions and tasks, e.g. B. memory , memory controller , main processor or graphics processor , in turn, can be combined in a higher-level circuit. This can either take place on a common substrate (monolithic integration) or the individual chips are mounted on a common printed circuit board and housed together in a housing (hybrid integration). For example, at the beginning of the 1990s, the co-processor , which was initially housed on a separate chip, was integrated on one chip together with the main processor. This trend towards ever greater integration and thus smaller circuits with more power continues today, for example the integration of main processor and graphics processor in one chip. In order to continue this trend in the future, what is known as 3D integration (vertical integration ), that is, the joining of several chips or chip levels in compact integrated circuits, is sought.
Furthermore, research is being carried out into the integration of non- optoelectronic components on integrated circuits, so-called optoelectronic integrated circuits ( OEIC ). For this purpose, semiconductor lasers , for example, are combined with other optical and electronic components on a substrate.
Microsystem technology and sensor technology
A trend similar to that in microelectronics is also present in micromechanics and microsystem technology . Microsystem technology deals, among other things, with the miniaturization of sensors that used to be used in conventional mechanics or their new development on semiconductor substrates . This miniaturization and possibly the combination of several such sensors in one component can be seen as the first integration. In recent years, however, the trend has continued, with the combination of micromechanical sensors and components with signal processing functions (e.g. with integrated microcontrollers ) on a substrate, so-called intelligent sensors or smart sensors . There are also developments in which these sensors can be equipped with power semiconductors to control external components.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans-Jürgen Gevatter, Ulrich Grünhaupt: Handbook of measurement and automation technology in automobiles: vehicle electronics, vehicle mechatronics . Springer DE, 2005, ISBN 3-540-21205-1 , pp. 13 .