TKSST: How are microchips made?

 

How are microchips made?

At this very moment, in the devices all around us—from smartphones, laptops, projectors, calculators, and digital microscopes to cars, TVs, thermostats, refrigerators, and even modern washing machines—entire metropolises exist on silicon landscapes smaller than your thumbnail.


“What you’re looking at is the top of a computing city, with distinct neighborhoods for different functions. They’re linked by up to 100 kilometers of ultra-thin copper lines, running across 10 or more stacked levels. At the very bottom, billions of electronic devices generate the digital traffic that pulses across the chip.”


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