Technology plays an integral role in man’s life. Because of it, a lot of things have been made possible especially in terms of transportation and communication. The global village was finally achieved; thus, making it so much easier for people to connect with other people in almost every part of the globe. And among the greatest inventions in technology is the semiconductor or the integrated circuit.
What Is A Semiconductor Or Integrated Circuit?
The integrated circuit or IC is a set of electronic circuits placed on a small plate called a chip. This chip is a semiconductor material, which is normally silicon. The IC can contain up to several billions of transistors and electronic components. It can be very small that it may just be the size of a fingernail.
What Are Its Characteristics?
Here are some of the integrated circuit or semiconductor characteristics.
It is very small. Therefore, it is too delicate to be handled directly. On a block of ceramic or tiny gold, the chip bonds to gold or aluminum wires. This block is the one that protects the chip, keep its temperature low, and prevent burning.
The size of the chip varies but usually, it is about 1 square mm to about 200. The block that contains it, on the other hand, is bigger and wider. Meanwhile, the thickness is from a fraction of a millimeter to a few millimeters.
What Are The Characteristics Of A Damaged IC?
An IC is a very important part of any electronic device. However, if it is damaged, it can cause a great malfunction of the entire device. The IC may be very small but an IC damage should not be ignored. Here are some characteristics to look out for in a damaged IC.
- The IC turns black. This is a sign that the IC burned due to a faulty wiring. However, this can also be caused by overloading.
- Melted IC. This is another indication that the IC damage is caused by burning.
Since the IC cannot be seen from the exterior of the device, you may not easily detect an IC damage. That is why you can look out for these external signs too.
- Malfunctioning of the device. The device may still turn on but it may not function as well as it used to.
- No function. If the IC is totally damaged, the device will not function at all anymore.
Do take note of these semiconductor characteristics and those of IC damage. You still might be able to salvage your device.
Tags：
IC, semiconductor