USB interface ICs include a range of devices which are designed to provide microcontrollers or microprocessors with a connection to a USB interface. USB interface ICs are integrated circuits that manage the data between the devices.
USB interface ICs utilise USB protocol. USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and it is an industry standard. It is very common in communication and power supply applications, mainly in computers.
Within USB, there are several types of protocol. It is important to ensure that your USB interface IC is compatible with the protocol you wish to use in your application. For example, USB 2.0, USB 3.0 or USB 3.1. They may also be compatible with a particular type of USB, such as USB-A or USB-C.
USB interface ICs come in a standard semiconductor package. This includes LQFP, QFN and SSOP.
USB Transceivers are a type of circuit chip that prepares, transmits and receives data from another transceiver. A transceiver is a device in which both a transmitter and a receiver are combined. They share common circuitry and are housed in a single device. The term "transceiver" means that the device has a transmit and receive function that helps the user to encode and decode data, and indicate where errors are present.
USB Controllers are a type of interface that allows a chip to communicate with the USB device. This can be referred to as the HCI (host controller interface). USB controllers provide an interface for transferring data.