Microelectronics overview

Scotland has been a major player in the microelectronics industry for over 40 years. The sector currently employs around 7500 people in 100 companies.

Scotland has an excellent electronics supply chain in place to support the microelectronics sector. This supply chain includes semiconductor fabrication, integrated circuit (IC) design, IP design, printed circuit boards (PCB), sub-assembly, systems and hardware.

Some of the industry’s primary strengths include analogue design, mixed signal and digital signal processing, plus leading technology development in several other areas.

What are microelectronic products?

Microelectronic circuits contain millions of transistors that deal with miniature components. The circuits are made from semiconductors using a process known as photolithography.

Put simply, microelectronic circuits are the ‘intelligent engine rooms’ of most new product innovations.

Microelectronic circuit chips are now present across many different products, including tiny medical devices, children’s toys, agricultural equipment, white goods, automobiles, logistics systems and security and defence systems.