A discrete device is an electronic component ( "THAT CAN KEEP A SECRET" ) Electronics is the study and use of electrical devices that operate by controlling the flow of electrons or other electrically charged particles in devices such as thermionic valves and semiconductors. The pure study of such devices is considered as a branch of physics, while the design and construction of electronic circuits to solve practical problems is part of the fields of electrical, electronics and computer engineering.
with just one circuit element. The term is used to distinguish the component from integrated circuits An integrated circuit (IC) is a thin chip, usually coin-sized or smaller, consisting of thousands or millions of interconnected semiconductor devices, mainly transistors, as well as passive components like resistors. The most advanced integrated circuits are the microprocessors, which drive everything from computers to cellular phones to digital microwave ovens. Digital memory chips are another family of integrated circuits that are crucially important in modern society.
and hybrid circuits, which are built from several circuit elements in one package. It typically refers to semiconductor devices Semiconductor devices are electronic components that exploit the electronic properties of semiconductor materials, principally silicon, germanium and gallium arsenide. Semiconductor devices have replaced thermionic devices in most applications. They utilize electronic conduction in the solid state, as opposed to the vacuum state or gaseous state. Semiconductor devices are available as discrete units (such as those at Radio Shack) or can be integrated along with a large number--often millions--of similar devices onto a single chip, called an integrated circuit (IC).
Examples are:
Transistor
The transistor is a solid state semiconductor device used for amplification and switching, and has three terminals. A small current or voltage applied to one terminal controls the current through the other two, hence the term transistor; a voltage- or current-controlled resistor. It is the key component in all modern electronics. In digital circuits, transistors are used as very fast electrical switches, and arrangements of transistors can function as logic gates, RAM-type memory and other devices. In analog circuits, transistors are essentially used as amplifiers.
Diode
A diode functions as the electronic version of a one-way valve. By restricting the direction of movement of charge carriers, it allows an electric current to flow in one direction, but blocks it in the opposite direction.
Applications Radio demodulation
The first use for the diode was the demodulation of amplitude modulated (AM) radio broadcasts. The history of this discovery is treated in depth in the
A triac
is an electronic component equivalent to two silicon controlled rectifiers joined end to end or back to back with their gates connected together. This results in a two-directional electronic switch which can conduct current in both directions when it is triggered (turned on). It can be triggered by either a positive or a negative voltage. The device turns off again when the current
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits incoherent monochromatic light when electrically biased in the forward direction. This effect is a form of electroluminescence. The color depends on the semiconducting material used, and can be near-ultraviolet, visible or infrared. Nick Holonyak Jr. (1928 - ) of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign developed the first practical visible-spectrum LED in 1962.
-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of M.H.B. Tettero
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 3:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [TN] Discrete components
Dear Technetters,
Does anybody know the exact definition of the term
"Discrete Component"? I have been searching all kind
of documents, but can't find an official definition.
I hope there is somebody out there who can help me
where to find this, or what the definition is.
Thanks in advance,
Maarten Tettero
Sintecs BV
http://www.sintecs.nl
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