An
integrated circuit or
monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an
IC, a
chip, or a
microchip) is a set of
electronic circuits on one small plate ("chip") of
semiconductor material, normally
silicon. This can be made much smaller than a
discrete circuit made from independent
electronic components. ICs can be made very compact, having up to several billion
transistors and other
electronic components in an area the size of a fingernail. The width of each conducting line in a circuit can be made smaller and smaller as the technology advances; in 2008 it dropped below 100
nanometers, and has now been reduced to tens of nanometers.