What is a computer chip and how is it made?

Microprocessors, also called computer chips, are made using a process called lithography. Specifically, deep-ultraviolet lithography is used to make the current breed of microchips and was most likely used to make the chip that is inside your computer.

How does a computer work?

A computer is a machine composed of hardware and software components. A computer receives data through an input unit based on the instructions it is given and after it processes the data, it sends it back through an output device. To better imagine how a computer works, knowing what’s inside will make it easier.

What is the chip or chips at the heart of a computer that enable it to process data?

Microprocessors are silicon chips that contain a computer’s central processing unit (CPU)—the device that executes commands entered into the computer.

How are chips attached to the system board?

The term chipset often refers to a specific pair of chips on the motherboard: the northbridge and the southbridge. The northbridge links the CPU to very high-speed devices, especially RAM and graphics controllers, and the southbridge connects to lower-speed peripheral buses (such as PCI or ISA).

How do they make microchips?

Microchips are made by building up layers of interconnected patterns on a silicon wafer. The microchip manufacturing process involves hundreds of steps and can take up to four months from design to mass production.

How does a computer work for dummies?

A computer is an electronic machine that processes information—in other words, an information processor: it takes in raw information (or data) at one end, stores it until it’s ready to work on it, chews and crunches it for a bit, then spits out the results at the other end. All these processes have a name.

What is inside a chip?

An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or “chip”) of semiconductor material, usually silicon.

Where is system on a chip used?

System-on-a-chip technology is used in small, increasingly complex consumer electronic devices. Some such devices have more processing power and memory than a typical 10-year-old desktop computer.