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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-cmos-low-power

Why did CMOS, which pairs n-channel and p-channel transistors, become the dominant chip technology?

It draws almost no power when idle.

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  1. It was the fastest logic in 1963
  2. It needs no silicon
  3. It uses nearly zero power in standby ✔

Why: In static CMOS logic, at least one transistor blocks a direct path from supply to ground in each stable state. Ideally, almost no current flows until the circuit switches.

Huh, didn't know that: CMOS was described by C. T. Sah and Frank Wanlass of Fairchild in a 1963 conference paper.

The dad joke
CMOS is my role model. It does nothing at rest and wastes no energy doing it.
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References

Answer: It uses nearly zero power in standby. In static CMOS logic, at least one transistor blocks a direct path from supply to ground in each stable state. Ideally, almost no current flows until the circuit switches.

  1. Computer History Museum, 1963: Complementary MOS Circuit Configuration is Invented www.computerhistory.org/siliconengine/complementary-mos-circuit-configuration-is-invented
    drew close to zero power in standby mode
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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