What are silicon chips?

A silicon chip is a tiny wafer of silicon (a semiconductor) on which a complete electronic device can be produced. An image is produced photographically and etched into the chip, but it differs from a printed circuit in some important ways. The chip is often microscopically small and contains huge amounts of "wiring". More importantly, part of the process allows other devices to be produced in the manufacturing process, such as tiny resistors and capacitors. So a silicon chip, or integrated circuit, which measures just a few millimeters across, is a complete electronic device.