@Sofia Wawrzyniak is an expert woot!

Layers:

1. Transistors
2. Logic gates / analog blocks
3. Standard cells, memory cells, IP blocks
4. Subsystems / functional blocks
5. SoC
6. MCM, SiP, 3D IC
7. PCB

Chip Categories:

• Digital IC
  • Microprocessors
  • Microcontrollers (MCUs): Arduino (Atmega328), STM32, ESP32.
  • Digital signal processors
  • FPGAs: Reprogrammable chips
  • ASICs: Custom chips (e.g., Google TPU, Apple Neural Engine)
• Analog IC
  • Operational amplifiers
  • Linear regulators / power management ICs
  • Sensors and transducers
• Mixed-signal IC
  • RFIC (separate category?)
  • Wi-Fi/bluetooth
  • Driver chips (for display, motors, LED, etc)
• Memory IC
  • RAM (Random Access Memory): Volatile memory (e.g., DRAM, SRAM).
  • ROM/Flash Storage: Non-volatile storage (e.g., SSDs, embedded flash in microcontrollers)
• SoCs: Qualcomm Snapdragon, Broadcom (Raspberry Pi), Apple Silicon
  • GPUs: Nvidia, AMD, and Qualcomm for graphics and AI

You can even have 3D ICs and through-silicon vias (TSV)!

Technologies

• Heterogeneous Integration: Combining CPU, FPGA, and more.

• 3D Packaging: Vertical chip stacking.

• Chiplets: Modular SoC design.