1. An electronic circuit consisting of components and connectors contained on a semiconductor chip. Usually packaged in a plastic or ceramic case with external connector pins.
2. A formal name for a component commonly termed chip or IC, that is a small electronic device made out of a semiconductor material. The first integrated circuit was developed in the 1950s by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments and Robert Noyce of Fairchild Semiconductor, now a part of Schlumberger (HTTP://WWW.SCHLUMBERGER.COM). Integrated circuits are used for a variety of devices, including microprocessors (CPUs), audio and video equipment, and automobiles. Integrated circuits are often classified by the number of transistors and other electronic components they contain:
SSI (small-scale integration): Up to 100 electronic components per chip
MSI (medium-scale integration): From 100 to 3,000 electronic components per chip
LSI (large-scale integration): From 3,000 to 100,000 electronic components per chip
VLSI (very large-scale integration): From 100,000 to 1,000,000 electronic components per chip
ULSI (ultra large-scale integration): More than 1 million electronic components per chip