Neets Master Glossary

1-44 METER MOVEMENT—The part of the meter that moves to indicate some value [3] [16]. METER SHUNT—A resistor placed in parallel with the meter terminals; used to provide increased range capability [16]. MHO—Unit of conductance; the reciprocal of the ohm [1]. MICRO—A prefix meaning one-millionth [1]. MICROCIRCUIT—A small circuit having high equivalent-circuit-element density, which is considered as a single part composed of interconnected elements on or within a single substrate to perform an electronic-circuit function [14]. MICROCIRCUIT MODULE—An assembly of microcircuits or a combination of microcircuits and discrete components that perform one or more distinct functions [14]. MICROELECTRONICS—The solid-state concept of electronics in which compact semiconductor materials are designed to function as an entire circuit or subassembly rather than as circuit components [7] [14]. MICROPHONE—An energy converter that changes sound energy into electrical energy [12]. MICROWAVE REGION—The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum from 1,000 MHz to 100,000 MHz [11]. MIL—The diameter of a conductor equal to 1/1000 (.001) inch [4]. MIL FOOT—A unit of measurement for conductors (diameter of 1 mil, 1 foot in length.) [4]. MILITARY SPECIFICATIONS (MIL-SPEC)—Technical requirements and standards adopted by the Department of Defense that must be met by vendors selling materials to DOD [4]. MILITARY STANDARDS (MILSTD)—Standards of performance for components or equipment that must be met to be acceptable for military systems [14]. MILLI—A prefix meaning one-thousandth [1]. MINIATURE ELECTRONICS—Modules, packages, pcbs, and so forth, composed exclusively of discrete components [14]. MINIMUM DISCERNIBLE SIGNAL (MDS)—The weakest input signal that produces a usable signal at the output of a receiver. The weaker the input signal, the more sensitive the receiver [18]. MINORITY CARRIERS—Either electrons or holes, whichever is the less dominant carrier in a semiconductor device. In P-type semiconductors, electrons are the minority carriers; in N-type semiconductors, the holes are the minority carriers [7]. MINORITY CURRENT—A very small current that passes through the base-to-collector junction when this junction is reverse biased [7]. MINOR LOBE—The lobe in which the radiation intensity is less than that of a major lobe [10]. MIXER—In radar, a circuit that combines the received RF signal with a local-oscillator signal to effectively convert the received signal to a lower IF frequency signal [18].