H

hardware

The physical components of a circuit or system, both passive and active. Compare software.

harsh environment

Conditions such as radiation exposure, temperature extremes, vibration, and dirt encountered by the military, on factory floors, and under the hoods of automobiles. Addressed by radiation hardening ICs and other rugged process technologies, an area in which Intersil is a world leader. See radiation hardened circuit.

HBC-10

A Intersil BiCMOS mixed-signal wafer process developed to provide high integration of logic as well as precision analog capability. It has also been optimized for both A-to-D and D-to-A data conversion. See BiCMOS, A/D converter, D/A converter.

high-level language

An application-oriented programming language, as distinguished from a machine-oriented programming language. The instruction approach is closer to the needs of the problems to be solved than it is to the language of the machine on which it is to be run. Examples are Ada, C, COBOL, FORTRAN, Lisp and Pascal.

hole

A mobile electron vacancy in a semiconductor that acts like a positive electron charge (+1.6x10^-19 coulomb) with a positive mass. Unoccupied spot among the electrons that are bound in their orbits. Under the application of an electric field, holes move in the opposite direction from electrons, thereby producing an electric current. Holes are induced into an integrated circuit by adding small quantities of an acceptor dopant to the host silicon crystal. See acceptor.

HVIC

High-Voltage Integrated Circuit. Utilizes DI (dielectric isolation) and JI (junction isolation) technologies to provide circuits that convert high-voltage incoming AC lines (120 and 240 volts, for example) to regulated DC output. A key point of Intersil's analog strategy in applying existing process capabilities to new markets, HVICs are cost-effective monolithic replacements for transformers, rectifiers and regulators. See DI and JI.

hybrid circuit

(1) A combination of passive and active subminiature devices on an insulating substrate to perform a complete circuit function. (2) A combination of one or more integrated circuits with one or more discrete components. (3) The combination of more than one type of integrated circuit into a single package.