A microchip smaller than your fingernail contains computer circuits called integrated circuits. The invention of the integrated circuit is one of the most important human innovations in history. Almost all modern products use chip technology.
The pioneers of microchip technology were Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce. In 1959, Texas Instruments' Kilby received a U.S. patent for a miniaturized electronic circuit, and Fairchild's Noyce received a patent for a silicon-based integrated circuit. This is Glenair-620AS048Z122.
What is a microchip?
A microchip is a group of interconnected electronic components, such as transistors and resistors, etched or printed onto a chip of a tiny semiconductor material, such as silicon or germanium. Microchips are usually used in the logic components of computers, called microprocessors, or in computer memory, also known as RAM chips. Such microchips can contain a group of interconnected electronic components, such as transistors, resistors and capacitors, that are etched or printed onto a tiny, wafer-thin chip.
Integrated circuits are used as controller switches to perform specific tasks. A transistor in an integrated circuit is like a switch. Resistance controls the current that moves back and forth between transistors. Capacitors collect and release current, while diodes stop the flow of current.
How are microchips made
Microchips are made layer by layer on a wafer of semiconductor material such as silicon. The layers are built using a process called photolithography, which uses chemicals, gases and light.
First, a layer of silica is deposited on the surface of the silicon wafer, and then the layer is covered with a layer of photoresist. Photoresist is a photosensitive material used to form a patterned coating on a surface using ultraviolet light. Light passes through the pattern and hardens the areas exposed to light. Gas is used to etch into the remaining soft areas. This process is repeated and modified to build circuit components.
The conductive paths between components are formed by coating the chip with a thin layer of metal, usually aluminum. Lithography and etching processes are used to remove the metal, leaving only the conductive channel.
The use of microchips
Microchips are used in many electronic devices besides computers. In the 1960s, the U.S. Air Force began using missiles made of microchips. NASA used microchips in the Apollo program.
Today, microchips are used in smartphones, allowing people to use the Internet and conduct telephone and video conferencing. Microchips are also used in televisions, GPS tracking devices, identity cards and medicine to diagnose cancer and other diseases more quickly.