An integrated circuit (IC) is a microscopic electronic circuit patterned onto an inert semiconductor material, most commonly silicon. These circuits allow numerous electronic components, including transistors, resistors, and capacitors, to be fabricated and interconnected upon a single substrate. This technology enables a drastic reduction in the physical size, power requirements, and cost of electronic devices compared to earlier discrete component assemblies. By consolidating complex functionality onto a miniature scale, integrated circuits have been foundational to the development of modern computational and communication technologies, enabling the miniaturization and performance increase critical to electronics.