Small
thin rectangle of a material having particular electric properties (called a
semi-conductor such as silicium) and which holds one or more integrated circuits
such as a microprocessor. The circuits of a chip are made of a huge number of
transistors, condensers and other miniature electronic components and it all
takes only a few square 1/16th of an inch.
These chips are
made by diffusing layers of certain materials at high temperatures in specially
designed furnaces. This is done according to highly complex patterns which form
the desired circuits.
