Does CMOS play a major role in modern technology?
Yes, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices are essential to most modern digital electronic equipment. By making use of both N-channel and P-channel MOSFETs in the same circuit power consumption can be minimized (i.e. only leakage current when idle as one type of MOSFET is always off when the other is on except for very brief periods when changing state) and reasonably fast switching speeds are possible. Most microprocessors and other complicated digital integrated circuits are implemented with CMOS circuitry (except for certain portions where switching speeds faster than can be achieved with CMOS without the power consumption of the CMOS circuits rising too much: e.g. ALUs). CMOS is also used in memory devices that must retain data even when the system is turned off, by using a small inexpensive battery that can power the idle CMOS memory for years without needing to be changed.