Microprocessors
Terms related to microprocessors, including definitions about silicon chips and words and phrases about computer processors.JAV - STA
- Java chip - The Java chip is a microchip that, when included in or added to a computer, will accelerate the performance of Java programs (including the applets that are sometimes included with Web pages).
- Java Ring - A Java Ring is a finger ring that contains a small microprocessor with built-in capabilities for the user, a sort of smart card that is wearable on a finger.
- K6 (AMD-K6) - K6 (referred to by its manufacturer as AMD-K6) is a line of microprocessors from AMD that compete with Intel's Pentium series of microprocessors.
- K7 - K7 was the development name for the Athlon personal computer microprocessor from AMD, the microprocessor and flash memory maker.
- Langmuir-Blodgett film (LB film) - A Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) film is a set of monolayers, or layers of organic material one molecule thick, deposited on a solid substrate.
- logic analyzer - A logic analyzer (occasionally called a logical analyzer) is a laboratory test instrument designed to display and evaluate digital signals.
- logic level - A logic level is one of several states that a digital signal can possess, expressed as a DC (direct-current) voltage with respect to electrical ground.
- megachips per second (Mcps) - Megachips per second (Mcps) is a measure of the speed with which encoding elements, called chips (not to be confused with microchips), are generated in Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) signals.
- memory coherence - Memory coherence is a desirable condition in which corresponding memory locations for each processing element in a multi-core processor always contain the same cached data.
- memory management unit (MMU) - A memory management unit (MMU) is a computer hardware component that handles all memory and caching operations associated with the processor.
- Merced - Merced was the code name during development for the microprocessor that Intel markets as the Itanium.
- mezzanine - Mezzanine is a term used to describe the stacking of computer component cards into a single card that then plugs into the computer bus or data path.
- MicroBlaze - MicroBlaze is the trade name for a soft processor core designed for Xilinx FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays).
- microchip - A microchip (sometimes just called a "chip") is a unit of packaged computer circuitry (usually called an integrated circuit) that is manufactured from a material such as silicon at a very small scale.
- microchip art - Microchip art is a microscopic non-functioning drawing impressed on the surface of the design mask used in the production of microchip s.
- microfluidics - Microfluidics is the science of designing, manufacturing, and formulating devices and processes that deal with volumes of fluid on the order of nanoliters (symbolized nl and representing units of 10 -9 liter) or picoliters (symbolized pl and representing units of 10 -12 liter).
- micrometer - A micrometer (sometimes expressed using the obsolete term, micron), is one-millionth of a meter and can also be expressed as:10 -6 meterOne thousandth of a millimeterOne 25-thousandth of an inchThe micrometer is a unit of measure for the core in optical fiber, for which the most common diameter is 62.
- micron - The micron, officially obsolete as a term of measurement, is sometimes used by microchip and wiring manufacturers in place of micrometer, one-millionth of a meter.
- microprocessor (logic chip) - A microprocessor is a computer processor on a microchip.
- microrobot - A microrobot is a miniaturized, sophisticated machine designed to perform a specific task or tasks repeatedly and with precision.
- MMX - MMX is a Pentium microprocessor from Intel that is designed to run faster when playing multimedia applications.
- monostable circuit - A monostable circuit is an electronic device called a multivibrator that has two distinct states, one of them stable (having a steady voltage) and the other one unstable (having an unsteady or variable voltage).
- motherboard tattoo - A motherboard tattoo is a unique code that can be written in the basic input/output system (BIOS) of a computer to ensure that system restore or diagnostic compact discs (CDs) will work only on the machine or line of machines with which the CDs are sold.
- multi-core processor - A multi-core processor is an integrated circuit (IC) to which two or more processors have been attached for enhanced performance, reduced power consumption, and more efficient simultaneous processing of multiple tasks.
- nanoanalysis - Nanoanalysis refers to techniques for determining the atomic structures of materials, especially crystals.
- nanochip - A nanochip is an integrated circuit (IC) that is so small, in physical terms, that individual particles of matter play major roles.
- nanocomputer - A nanocomputer is a computer whose physical dimensions are microscopic.
- nanofabrication - Nanofabrication is the design and manufacture of devices with dimensions measured in nanometers.
- nanolithography - Nanolithography is the art and science of etching, writing, or printing at the microscopic level, where the dimensions of characters are on the order of nanometers (units of 10 -9 meter, or millionths of a millimeter).
- nanomachine (nanite) - A nanomachine, also called a nanite, is a mechanical or electromechanical device whose dimensions are measured in nanometers (millionths of a millimeter, or units of 10 -9 meter).
- nanomedicine - Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology (the engineering of tiny machines) to the prevention and treatment of disease in the human body.
- nanorobot - A nanorobot is a tiny machine designed to perform a specific task or tasks repeatedly and with precision at nanoscale dimensions, that is, dimensions of a few nanometers (nm) or less, where 1 nm = 10-9 meter.
- nanoscale technology - Nanoscale technology is a branch of nanotechnology in which standard size tools are used to manufacture simple structures and devices with dimensions on the order of a few nanometers or less, where one nanometer (1 nm) is equal to a billionth of a meter (10 -9 m).
- nanotransistor - A nanotransistor is a transistor - the component that acts as an electronic signal switch or amplifier - that is near the scale of a billionth of a meter (or nanometer) in size.
- nanotube (carbon nanotube) - A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a miniature cylindrical carbon structure that has hexagonal graphite molecules attached at the edges.
- nanotube antenna - A nanotube antenna is a device consisting of a carbon nanotube (a long, cylindrical carbon structure consisting of hexagonal graphite molecules attached at the edges) configured to transmit or receive electromagnetic fields (EM field s) at extremely short wavelength s.
- neural net processor - A neural net processor is a CPU that takes the modeled workings of how a human brain operates onto a single chip.
- neuromorphic chip - A neuromorphic chip is an analog data processor inspired by the biological brain.
- neurosynaptic chip (cognitive chip) - A neurosynaptic chip, also known as a cognitive chip, is a computer processor that functions more like a biological brain than a typical CPU does.
- Northbridge - Northbridge is an Intel chipset that communicates with the computer processor and controls interaction with memory, the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, Level 2 cache, and all Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) activities.
- Northwood - Northwood is the code name for the latest version of Intel's Pentium 4 processor.
- octal latch - An octal latch is an integrated circuit (IC) that contains eight binary digital circuits called latches.
- OpenPower Foundation - The OpenPower Foundation is an organization in which IBM shares its Power microprocessor technology with licensed members.
- optical transceiver chip - An optical transceiver chip is an integrated circuit (IC) that transmits and receives data using optical fiber rather than electrical wire.
- overclocking - Overclocking is resetting some computer component so that it runs faster than the manufacturer-specified speed.
- Palladium - Palladium is a plan from Intel, AMD, and Microsoft to build security into personal computers and servers at the microprocessor level.
- parallel presence detect (PPD) - Parallel presence detect (PPD) is a method of using resistors to communicate a memory module's speed and density to the basic input/output system (BIOS) when a computer boots (starts or restarts).
- PDP-11 (Programmed Data Processor-11) - PDP-11 (Programmed Data Processor-1 is one of the most famous computers in computing history, one of a series manufactured by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from the early 1960s through the mid-1990s.
- Pentium - Also see the Pentium MMX and the Pentium 3.
- Pentium 3 - The Pentium III is a microprocessor designed by Intel as a successor to its Pentium II.
- petaflop - A petaflop is a measure of a computer's processing speed and can be expressed as a quadrillion (thousand trillion) floating point operations per second (FLOPS).
- photolithography - Photolithography is the standard method of printed circuit board (PCB) and microprocessor fabrication.
- PIC microcontrollers - PIC microcontrollers are a family of specialized microcontroller chips produced by Microchip Technology in Chandler, Arizona.
- positional assembly - Positional assembly is a technique that has been suggested as a means to build objects, devices, and systems on a molecular scale using automated processes in which the components that carry out the construction process would follow programmed paths.
- power-on reset (PoR) - A power-on reset (PoR) is a circuit that provides a predictable, regulated voltage to a microprocessor or microcontroller with the initial application of power.
- PowerPC - PowerPC is a microprocessor architecture that was developed jointly by Apple, IBM, and Motorola.
- PPGA (plastic pin grid array) - PPGA (plastic pin grid array) is a microchip design from Intel that has the silicon core of the microchip facing down toward the computer motherboard.
- predication (branch predication) - Predication (also called branch predication) is a process implemented in Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC)-based processors and their compilers to increase performance by eschewing branch prediction (a common technique used in modern processors), where a wrong guess by the processor brings a performance penalty.
- pressure sensing - Pressure sensing is the capacity for some system to sense the force exerted on a surface per unit area and express that force in the strength of an electric signal.
- printed circuit board (PCB) - A printed circuit board (PCB) is the board base for physically supporting and wiring surface-mounted and socketed components in most electronics.
- processing in memory (PIM) - Processing in memory (PIM, sometimes called processor in memory) is the integration of a processor with RAM (usually DRAM or SRAM) on a single chip.
- processor (CPU) - A processor is the logic circuitry that responds to and processes the basic instructions that drive a computer.
- processor serial number (PSN) - A PSN (processor serial number) is a software-readable unique serial number that Intel has stamped into its Pentium 3 microprocessor.
- ProLiant - ProLiant, an "industry standard" computer server from Compaq, typifies the popularly-priced server that is designed to satisfy general computing needs at various levels in an enterprise.
- proximity sensing - Proximity sensing is the ability of a robot to tell when it is near an object, or when something is near it.
- quad gate - A quad gate is an IC (integrated circuit or chip) containing four logic gates.
- quad-core processor - A quad-core processor is a chip with four independent units called cores that read and execute central processing unit (CPU) instructions such as add, move data, and branch.
- quantum dot - A quantum dot is a particle of matter so small that the addition or removal of an electron changes its properties in some useful way.
- quantum mirage - The term quantum mirage refers to a phenomenon that may make it possible to transfer data without conventional electrical wiring.
- RAMDAC (random access memory digital-to-analog converter) - RAMDAC (random access memory digital-to-analog converter) is a microchip that converts digital image data into the analog data needed by a computer display.
- real-time clock (RTC) - A real-time clock (RTC) is a battery-powered clock that is included in a microchip in a computer motherboard.
- reconfigurable processor - A reconfigurable processor is a microprocessor with erasable hardware that can rewire itself dynamically.
- recordable DVD (writable DVD) - Recordable DVD (sometimes called writable DVD) is a DVD technology that allows a PC user to write data one or more times to a DVD with the PC's DVD drive.
- register (processor register, CPU register) - A processor register is one of a small set of data holding places that are part of a processor, or CPU, in a computer.
- replicator - A replicator is an object or organism that can make copies of itself.
- RIMM - In a computer, a RIMM is a memory module developed by Kingston Technology Corp.
- RISC (reduced instruction set computer) - RISC (reduced instruction set computer) is a microprocessor that is designed to perform a smaller number of types of computer instructions so that it can operate at a higher speed (perform more millions of instructions per second, or MIPS).
- Ryzen (AMD Ryzen) - Ryzen (pronounced RYE zen) is an AMD CPU aimed at the server, desktop, workstation, media center PC and all-in-one markets.
- SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) - SDRAM (synchronous DRAM) is a generic name for various kinds of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that are synchronized with the clock speed that the microprocessor is optimized for.
- segmented memory - Segmented memory is a system of addressing computer memory, which may be physical or virtual and may be operating in real or protected mode.
- selenium - What is selenium?Selenium is a non-metallic element that is often used as a semiconductor material, as a rectifier or in xerography.
- self-assembly - Self-assembly is a branch of nanotechnology in which objects, devices, and systems form structures without external prodding.
- semiconductor fab - A semiconductor fab is a manufacturing plant in which raw silicon wafers are turned into integrated circuits.
- SerDes (serializer/deserializer) - A SerDes or serializer/deserializer is an integrated circuit (IC or chip) transceiver that converts parallel data to serial data and vice-versa.
- serial communications interface (SCI) - A serial communications interface (SCI) is a device that enables the serial (one bit at a time) exchange of data between a microprocessor and peripherals such as printers, external drives, scanners, or mice.
- serial peripheral interface (SPI) - In a computer, a serial peripheral interface (SPI) is an interface that enables the serial (one bit at a time) exchange of data between two devices, one called a master and the other called a slave.
- server virtualization - Server virtualization is a process that creates and abstracts multiple virtual instances on a single server.
- shift register - A shift register is a digital memory circuit found in calculators, computers, and data-processing systems.
- silicon photonics - Silicon photonics is an evolving technology in which data is transferred among computer chips by optical rays.
- Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) - Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) is a semiconductor fabrication technique developed by IBM that uses pure crystal silicon and silicon oxide for integrated circuits (IC) and microchips.
- SIMM (single in-line memory module) - A SIMM (single in-line memory module) is a module containing one or several random access memory (RAM) chips on a small circuit board with pins that connect to the computer motherboard.
- smart card - A smart card is a physical card that has an embedded integrated chip that acts as a security token.
- SoC testing (system-on-a-chip testing) - SoC (system-on-a-chip) testing is the testing of system-on-a-chip (SoC) devices.
- Socket 370 - Socket 370 is the descriptive term for the way certain Intel microprocessors plug into a computer motherboard so that it makes contact with the motherboard's built-in wires or data bus.
- Socket 7 - Socket 7 is the descriptive term for the way certain Intel Pentium microprocessors plug into a computer motherboard so that it makes contact with the motherboard's built-in wires or data bus.
- softcooling (software cooling) - Softcooling is a software-based method of computer component cooling, conducted either by adjusting component settings or by using softcooling products.
- Southbridge - Southbridge is an Intel chipset that manages the basic forms of input/output (I/O) such as Universal Serial Bus (USB), serial, audio, Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), and Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) I/O in a computer.
- SPARC (Scalable Processor Architecture) - SPARC (Scalable Processor Architecture) is a 32- and 64-bit microprocessor architecture from Sun Microsystems that is based on reduced instruction set computing (RISC).
- speculation (speculative loading) - Speculation (also known as speculative loading), is a process implemented in Explicitly Parallel Instruction Computing (EPIC) processors and their compilers to reduce processor-memory exchanging bottlenecks or latency by putting all the data into memory in advance of an actual load instruction.