The changing face of circuit design

Abstract

The changing face of circuit design is described in this paper. With the invention of the integrated circuit (IC) and the development and continual improvement of the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), have brought tremendous changes to the circuit design area. The three types of circuits commonly fabricated on a chip are analog, digital, and mixed signal. Although the IC has led to tremendous developments in the electronics field, the process of IC circuit design has become more difficult. The large range and accuracy of component values in discrete design make the design less difficult. Special methods that apply active loads and matching techniques are required in IC design to minimize the number of resistors used and to remove the dependence of circuit performance on element values. Perhaps the most difficult part of IC design is the time lag between design and fabrication of the circuit, which may be several weeks or even months. Discrete circuits are often constructed within hours of completion of the initial paper design