Role of Integrated Circuits
Before the invention of the integrated circuit (IC) in the 1950s, every electronic device required a bunch of separate components—including transistors, resistors and capacitors—that needed to be interconnected by wires. These were bulky and power-hungry, limiting the size of devices—and our ability to explore far beyond the Earth.
The integrated circuit breakthrough was to take the full circuitry of a device—including all its components and connections—and recreate it in microscopically small form on a single piece of semiconductor silicon, using an extremely complex manufacturing process. This allowed computers to be smaller and less expensive, and made spacecraft lighter and more energy-efficient.
Today, we can hardly think of any electronic device without an IC inside it, from children’s toys to subway trains to spacecraft and airplanes. ICs are the brains behind the gadgets, allowing them to function as microprocessors, amplifiers and memory.
The Role of Integrated Circuits in the Aerospace Industry
ICs are essential to the aerospace industry, because they make it possible for planes, spaceships and satellites to operate under extreme conditions. They’re exposed to intense temperatures, ionizing radiation, vibrations and magnetic fields—all of which are more than standard PCBs can handle, and could cause equipment failure and even catastrophic disasters.
Aerospace-specific ICs require special materials and processes to ensure that they can work under these difficult conditions, and that they can last for the long haul. The specialized materials—often called “electronic metals”—can withstand the extreme temperatures and electromagnetic fields found in an aircraft or spacecraft, as well as the higher levels of stress that can be placed on circuit boards due to vibrations and gravity.
To achieve these extraordinary feats, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and at many other research facilities across the country are working on new materials and designs to make ICs even more durable and resilient. They’re also developing ways to make ICs more adaptable—flexible, for example—so that they can bend into tiny spaces or wrap around other device components, like the wires that connect them.
While a lot of the aerospace-specific ICs used in airplanes and satellites can be built in the United States, the industry remains highly dependent on overseas suppliers for some of its most advanced processors. Steep costs and the need for high-level specialty expertise make it impractical to build some of these chips in the U.S., and that’s a reality that the defense industry must come to terms with.
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