Small electric semiconductor device constructed on a small piece of silicon and consisting of multiple transistors and other electronic components etched onto the one element. Integrated circuits are used in almost all electronic components. They allow engineers to pack multiple functions into a small space and speed up the development and manufacturing process while cutting costs. Integrated circuits can be used with analog signals, digital signals or a combination of the two. They play an especially vital role in preamplifier and surround sound audio processors although integrated circuits are found in just about every audio/video component. An example of an integrated circuit is the microchip, such as an Intel Pentium II, used to run a computer.