How do integrated circuits differ from vacuum tubes?

Integrated circuits are indeed made of silicon, which is a significant distinction from vacuum tubes. Silicon serves as a semiconductor material, allowing integrated circuits to efficiently manage electrical signals and switch them on and off, which is essential for modern electronic devices. This solid-state technology contributes to the compact size, durability, reliability, and energy efficiency of integrated circuits compared to vacuum tubes.

In addition, integrated circuits can contain thousands to millions of components, such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors, all integrated on a single chip of silicon. This miniaturization leads to the development of smaller, more powerful devices that consume far less power than their vacuum tube counterparts, which are larger and require more energy to operate. Thus, the material composition—silicon in integrated circuits versus metal and glass in vacuum tubes—is central to understanding how these technologies evolved and the advantages integrated circuits have over vacuum tubes.