Power devices are in the chips: New power integrated circuits, called PICs, put both power-handling semiconductors and logic on the same IC chip; soon they may be part of every household appliance

The advances that will have to be made before power integrated chips, or PICs, can become a dominant force in the semiconductor field are discussed. These have to do with developing adequate isolation between high-voltage devices and low-voltage circuits; designing devices and fabrication processes that yield both high voltage and high current at an economical level; and designing high-voltage, high-current devices that can operate as a current source. The three techniques that are now being used to overcome the isolation problem, namely p-n junction isolation, self-isolation, and dielectric isolation, are then discussed and compared. The work being done to solve the problem of heat dissipation is surveyed.