The most advanced integrated circuits are at the heart of microprocessors or multicore processors that control everything from computers to cell phones to digital microwave ovens. While the cost of designing and developing a complex integrated circuit is very high, the cost per integrated circuit is minimized when spread out over products that typically number in the millions. The performance of integrated circuits is high because the small size results in short paths, allowing low-power logic circuits to be applied at fast switching speeds.
Over the years, integrated circuits have continued to move to smaller form factors, allowing more circuits to be packaged per chip. This increased capacity per unit area allows for lower cost and increased functionality, see Moore's Law, the number of transistors in an integrated circuit doubles every 1.5 years. In short, as the form factor shrinks, almost all metrics improve, cost per unit and switching power consumption drop, and speed increases. However, there are problems with ICs that integrate nanoscale devices, primarily leakage current. As a result, the increase in speed and power consumption for the end user is very noticeable and manufacturers are faced with the acute challenge of using better geometry. The process and the advances to expect in the coming years are well described in the Semiconductor International Technology Roadmap.
Just half a century after their development, integrated circuits are becoming ubiquitous, with computers, cell phones, and other digital appliances becoming an integral part of the fabric of society. This is because modern computing, communication, manufacturing, and transportation systems, including the Internet, all depend on the existence of the IC. Many scholars even consider the digital revolution brought about by ICs to be the most important event in human history, and the maturation of ICs will bring about a great leap forward in technology, both in terms of design technology and semiconductor process breakthroughs, which are closely related.