74HCT04

The 74HCT04 is a hex inverter integrated circuit in the 74HCT family, containing six independent inverter stages. It uses high‑speed CMOS technology with TTL‑compatible inputs, allowing direct interfacing with TTL logic while producing CMOS‑level outputs. This makes it useful for signal inversion, buffering, and level shaping in mixed‑signal digital designs.

Electrical characteristics and operation: The device is powered from a single supply typically in the 4.5 to 5.5 V range, with a broader operating range from about 2 to 6 V. The inputs are TTL‑compatible, with a typical high threshold around 2.0 V at VCC = 5 V and a low threshold near 0.8 V, enabling TTL signal compatibility. Each inverter provides standard CMOS output drive; propagation delays are on the order of several nanoseconds to a few tens of nanoseconds depending on supply, temperature, and load. The maximum output current is limited to a few milliamperes per inverter, influencing how it drives subsequent stages or loads.

Package and pinout: The 74HCT04 is offered in common 14‑pin package formats such as DIP‑14 and surface‑mount options (SO‑14, VSSOP, etc.). In a typical packaging layout, there are six input pins and six corresponding output pins, plus VCC and GND.

Applications: It is widely used to invert and buffer digital signals in microcontroller, microprocessor, and other digital circuits. It serves for clock shaping, signal conditioning, and simple level shifting where TTL and CMOS logic levels must be interfaced.

See also: other 74HCT logic gates and related hex inverters such as 74HCT04 family variants.