Abstract :
The increasing use of integrated circuits is beginning to have a profound effect on electronics. It is not merely a matter of modifying the same basic ideas, as was the case when transistors replaced valves: the integrated circuit is beginning to make radical changes in the thinking of design engineers. This article reviews the present status of integrated circuits from the point of view of the equipment design engineer and makes some guesses (which the author hopes are inspired) about the effect they will have in the next few years.
