Integration scale categories in digital ICs: What is the typical functional capacity of SSI (Small-Scale Integration) devices?

Introduction / Context:
Digital integrated circuits are historically categorized by the number of logic gates (or equivalent complexity) per chip: SSI, MSI, LSI, and VLSI. Knowing these ranges helps engineers understand trade-offs in technology choices, cost, density, and performance while reading datasheets or legacy documentation.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question asks specifically about SSI (Small-Scale Integration).
• Gate counts are approximate historical ranges used for classification.
• We assume standard textbook definitions for SSI/MSI/LSI/VLSI.

Concept / Approach:
Typical categorization: SSI roughly 1–10 gates, MSI roughly 10–100 gates, LSI roughly 100–10,000 gates, and VLSI beyond that. Some sources include 1–11 or 12–99 to make ranges non-overlapping. The essence remains: SSI is at the low end, handling a handful of basic logic functions per chip (e.g., gates, small flip-flop packages).

Step-by-Step Solution:
Identify SSI as the smallest integration scale.Recall standard range: about 1–10 gates (here presented as 1–11).Match to the provided options: 1 to 11 gates aligns with SSI.Therefore select: 1 to 11 gates.

Verification / Alternative check:
Common examples of SSI include chips like 7400 (quad 2-input NAND) where each package provides a small number of simple gates, reinforcing the low gate-count classification.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
12 to 99 gates corresponds to MSI. 100 to 10,000 gates is LSI. More than 10,000 gates moves into VLSI and beyond, not SSI.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing modern transistor counts (millions to billions) with historical gate-count categories; mixing up MSI and SSI because some series (e.g., 74xx) have both small and medium scale parts.

Final Answer:
1 to 11 gates