silicon

(Si) The base material used in chips. Next to oxygen, it is the most abundant element in nature and is found in a natural state in rocks and sand. Its atomic structure and availability make it an ideal semiconductor material. In chip making, it is mined from white quartz rocks and put through a chemical process at high temperatures to purify it. Pure silicon is not electrically conductive. In order to make it conductive, it is chemically combined with other materials such as boron and phosphorus (see doping). See silicon germanium and silicone.

A Silicon Moon

This intriguing picture, which looks like it was shot from the moon, symbolizes the fact that chips are made from the same material that is also found in sand. The "moon" is a finished wafer full of memory chips. (Image courtesy of Texas Instruments, Inc.)

Drawing the Silicon Ingot

This picture shows the drawing of a silicon ingot in a fiery furnace containing molten silicon. Special high-speed saws slice the ingots into wafers about the thickness of a dime. They are then ground thinner and polished mirror smooth. (Image courtesy of Texas Instruments, Inc.)

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Silicon