Introduction
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) provides software tools to integrated circuit designers. The reader needs some familiarity with ICs to grasp what the EDA tools do.
In addition, understanding ICs requires an introduction to basic electricity and semiconductors. This chapter introduces electricity.
Atoms and Electrons
All matter is made up of tiny particles called atoms. Atoms are the building blocks of every kind of material—water, steel, and skin. We think atoms consist of a center nucleus, and a cloud of electrons swarming around the nucleus. (The model looks like the sun surrounded by many planets.)
Figure A.1 shows electrons swarming around a nucleus. Note that the electrons are much smaller than the nucleus. (Also, the picture ...
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