Integrated circuit - Developments

Programmable logic devices, developed in the 1980, contain circuits whose logical function and connectivity can be programmed by the user. This allows a single chip to be programmed to implement different LSI-type functions such as logic gates, adders and registers.  

In the past, radios could not be fabricated in the same low-cost processes as microprocessors. But since 1998, a large number of radio chips have been developed using CMOS processes.  

Since the 2000s, the integration of optical functionality into silicon chips has been actively pursued in: academic research and industry, resulting like this in the successful commercialization of silicon based integrated optical transceivers combining optical devices with CMOS based electronics.