---
title: Integrated circuits
categories:
  - Electronics
  - Hardware
tags: [logic-gates]
---

# Integrated circuits

An integrated circuit (IC) is a single unit that comprises several logic gates designed for the easy construction of [digital circuits](/Electronics/Digital_Circuits/Digital_circuits.md). The terms "integrated circuit" and "chip" are often used interchangeably.

An IC puts the gates on a single piece of silicon that has electrical contact points called pins. The type we will look at are called **dual in-line packages** (DIPs). They are rectangular wth two parallel rows of pins. The pins make it easy to connect DIPs to a breadboard.

_An integrated circuit and its use on a breadboard:_

<img align="left" width="200" src="/home/thomas/repos/computer_science/img/integrated-circuit.jpeg">
<img  width="200" src="/home/thomas/repos/computer_science/img/breadboard-DIP.jpg">

// TODO: Add diagrams of different IC gate types