Science
| By : Gurpreet Kaur | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 02 Sep, 2005 | Total Views : 299 |
Electronics
The biggest newsmakers in electronics were the burgeoning fields of microelectronics and high-speed digital computers, the latter with a particular emphasis on medicine. Other electronic devices also made news in medical electronics, with auto safety and crime prevention taking a share of the electronics headlines.
Microelectronics
Almost every major manufacturer of electronic equipment, ranging from computers to industrial testing devices and consumer products, is actively pursuing the application of microelectronics, or integrated circuits, to its new designs. An integrated circuit, which would be dwarfed by a lump of sugar, can do the work of a large number of electron tubes or transistors and other electronic components. The majority of devices have been used in digital computer applications, where repetitive functions demand the use of tens of thousands of identical circuits.
Integrated circuit applications in electronic equipment date back to 1960, when Westinghouse designed a communications receiver 35 times lighter and smaller than the same set using equivalent standard-sized components. In 1961 Texas Instruments developed for the Air Force a telemetry encoder, using 285 integrated circuits, which resulted in a 95 percent reduction in size and weight over equivalent transistorized equipment.
However, the first major system to capitalize fully on the new microelectronic technology was the Air Force's Minuteman 2 ICBM program in 1962. An improved intercontinental ballistic missile was needed to deliver a heavier payload over a longer distance. Rather than become involved in an expensive and time-consuming program to develop a more efficient propulsion system, it was decided to reduce the size and weight of the electronic guidance package. Two years later, the Minuteman 2 guidance system—using integrated circuits—was successfully tested. A $9 million contract for integrated circuits for Minuteman 2 was subsequently released by the Air Force, and almost 500,000 circuits were purchased for use in guidance computers and flight control and ground support equipment.
Recent integrated-circuit applications in weapons system design include: (1) more than 6,000 devices for each fire-control computer used in the Phoenix air-to-air missile system; (2) a large quantity of microelectronic units for the Navy's Mark 48 torpedo control; (3) 3,000 integrated circuits for each Univac airborne computer carried by Navy aircraft for antisubmarine warfare; (4) 8,000 integrated circuits for each tactical data system built for the Marine Corps; and (5) 8,000 integrated circuits for each Army AN/GXC facsimile equipment and TF-600 forward area secure communications system.
Price reductions in integrated circuits have prompted manufacturers of electronic instruments to incorporate these devices in new designs. Weight and volume have been reduced and reliability improved. Unexpected benefits also have been gained in the form of lowered cost compared to the same design using individual standard-sized components. For example, a 30 percent reduction was obtained in the cost of a Raytheon-built multiplexer and digital-to-analog converter. An outstanding example of assembly simplification is a desk-top electronic calculator developed by the Victor Comptometer Corporation. This compact machine adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides and then displays the results on a built-in 4 × ˝-inch illuminated screen. Numerals of up to 20 digits can be handled with storage and retrieval available with keyboard control. The unit is about the same size as an electric typewriter and uses only 29 metal-ozide semiconductor (MOS) integrated circuits.
Integrated circuits in consumer electronics first appeared in a hearing aid developed by the Zenith Corporation in late 1963. Since then, considerable research time has been devoted to microelectronics by the radio and television industry. The first result was announced in early 1966 by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) Home Instrument Division. A four-function monolithic integrated circuit was developed for use in the sound section of their portable television receivers. One tiny silicon chip replaced nearly 30 discrete parts and performed amplification, limiting, FM detection, and audio preamplification functions.
The applications for integrated circuits in consumer products are quite exciting. One possibility is an electronic wristwatch with digital display of time combining microelectronic technology with electroluminescent displays. More than 50,000 electronic organs are built each year, using millions of transistors; assembly time and component cost will be reduced substantially by the use of integrated circuits. Another product under development is a tiny remote control system using microelectronics to dim or raise the lighting level of each room in a home.
