Definition
An integrated-circuit approach that uses MOSFETs as its basic devices to implement logic or memory functions on a single chip.
What it is
MOS integrated circuits place MOSFETs, interconnects and the necessary passive structures on a single silicon chip to implement logic gates, shift registers, ROM or RAM. They represent one device approach to integrated circuits, rather than a single product.
Why it emerged and what it solved
Bipolar ICs could be fast, but device area and power consumption limited higher densities. The insulated gate and simple planar structure of the MOSFET were better suited to replicating large numbers of identical cells on a wafer, reducing the cost per function.
Why it matters and what it enabled
MOS ICs brought developments in fabrication processes, logic and memory into a common approach. Silicon-gate processes and CMOS addressed speed, density and power consumption, while DRAM and microprocessors demonstrated the value of MOS ICs for main memory and CPU integration respectively.
Principles and impact
Problems solved
- Offered a device approach with higher density and lower input power consumption as an alternative to bipolar integrated circuits.
- Fit logic gates, shift registers and memory arrays into less chip area.
Principles
- MOSFETs act as switches controlled by a gate electric field, and devices are fabricated in batches on planar wafers.
- Process parameters, clocks and interconnects jointly determine logic speed, power consumption and memory density.
Improvements
- Accommodated more devices per unit area than discrete transistors and some bipolar ICs.
- Well suited to implementing shift registers, ROM, RAM and computing logic.
Significance
- Became the mainstream technological foundation for large-scale integration and microprocessors.
- Linked cost reductions and density gains in memory and processors.
History and applications
People
John Atalla、Dawon Kahng、Robert H. Dennard
Organizations
General Microelectronics、RCA、Intel
Events
The first commercial MOS IC in 1964、Intel's 1103 MOS DRAM in 1970
Applications
Shift registers and calculator chips、Read-only memory and RAM、Microprocessor logic
Limitations
- Early MOS devices still faced significant limits in oxide stability and speed.
- Manufacturing yield, clock design and package parasitics affect usable performance.
Upstream and downstream relations
Upstream
Sources: 1964: First Commercial MOS IC Introduced1959: Invention of the Planar Manufacturing Process
Downstream
Sources: 1963: Complementary MOS Circuit Configuration is Invented
Sources: Semiconductor Memory: Fast, Cheap, or Dense?1964: First Commercial MOS IC Introduced