Welcome to the electronics glossary in our library!

The following glossary entries were abstracted from the book, Bebop to the Boolean Boogie (An Unconventional Guide to Electronics), with the kind permission of LLH Technology Publishing, Eagle Rock, VA, USA                          ( to return to the main glossary.)

A condition in which a circuit draws uncontrolled amounts of current, and certain voltages are forced, or "latched-up", to some level. Particularly relevant in the case of CMOS devices which can latch-up if their operating conditions are violated.

A material constructed from thin layers or sheets. Often used in the context of circuit boards.

Refers to the number of logic gates in a device. By one convention, large-scale integration represents a device containing 100 to 999 gates.

A special semiconductor diode which emits a beam of coherent light.

A memory device in which data is read out in the reverse order to which it was written in.

Good lateral thermal conductivity means that the heat generated by components mounted on a substrate can be conducted horizontally across the substrate and out through its leads.

(1)A metallic element (chemical symbol Pb). (2)A metal conductor used to provide a connection from the inside of a device package to the outside world for soldering or other mounting techniques. Leads are also commonly called pins.

A metallic frame containing leads and a base to which an unpackaged integrated circuit is attached. After encapsulation, the outer part of the frame is cut away and the leads are bent into the required shapes.

A technique for populating circuit boards in which component leads are inserted into plated through-holes. Often abbreviated to "through-hole" or "thru-hole". When all of the components have been inserted, they are soldered to the board, usually using a wave soldering technique.

The binary digit, or bit, in a binary number that represents the least significant value (typically the right-hand bit).

The byte in a multi-byte word that represents the least significant values (typically the right-hand byte).

An input whose effect on a function depends only on its current logic value or level, and is not directly related to it transitioning from one logic value to another.

A shift register whose data input is generated as an XOR or XNOR of two or more elements in the register chain.

A memory device in which data is read out in the reverse order to which it was written in.

Used to refer to the width of a track; for example, "This track has a line-width of 0.12mm."

A variable (either true or inverted) in a Boolean equation.

Similar in principle to standard cofired ceramic substrate techniques. However, low-fired cofired uses modern ceramic materials with compositions that allow them to be fired at temperatures as low as 650oC to 750oC. Firing at these temperatures in an inert atmosphere such as nitrogen allows non-refractory metals such as copper to be used to create tracks.

A mathematical function that performs a digital operation on digital data and returns a digital value.

The physical implementation of a logic function.

A process in which a program is used to optimize the logic used to implement a design.

LSB may stand for least-significant bit or least-significant byte. The least-significant bit is the binary digit (bit) in a binary number that represents the least significant value (typically the right-hand bit). Similarly, the least-significant byte is the byte in a multi-byte word that represents the least significant values (typically the right-hand byte).

Refers to the number of logic gates in a device. By one convention, large-scale integration represents a device containing 100 to 999 gates.

A technique for populating circuit boards in which component leads are inserted into plated through-holes. Often abbreviated to "through-hole" or "thru-hole". When all of the components have been inserted, they are soldered to the board, usually using a wave soldering technique.

A shift register whose data input is generated as an XOR or XNOR of two or more elements in the register chain.

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