Before knowing in depth the meaning of the term chip, it is necessary to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is an English word derived from the Latin “cippus”, which can be translated as “stake” or even as “pole”.
According to DigoPaul, the term chip refers to a very small element, made of a semiconductor material, that has many integrated circuits. These circuits allow you to perform various functions in electronic devices.
It should be remembered that a material is known as a semiconductor that, depending on certain factors, can act as an insulator or as a conductor. An integrated circuit, for its part, is a system formed by several electronic elements that are miniaturized and are housed in the same support made with a semiconductor material.
Returning to the idea of a chip, it is a piece that can house many integrated circuits. It usually has a silicon surface of just a few square millimeters, on which the circuits are produced through the process known as photolithography. The chips are protected with a ceramic or plastic capsule that has the necessary metallic conductors to establish a connection with the printed circuit.
The creation of the chips was a great step for the development of electronics. By printing the components on a photolithography unit, they are economical to produce, as there is no need to build one transistor at a time. The chips, in turn, require little material and consume a small amount of energy.
The cell phones (mobile), the computers (PCs), the televisions and even cars, among many other devices and machines have chips, which can have from ten to more than one million transistors. Depending on their components and manufacturing method, it is possible to distinguish between monolithic chips (made with a single single crystal) and hybrid chips (thin-film or thick-film).
Within the field of cinema, the term in question has also been used on more than one occasion. This would be the case, for example, of the movie “The prodigious chip.” It is a film released in 1987, directed by Joe Dante and starring actors such as Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, Meg Ryan and Kevin McCarthy.
This American feature film belongs to the genre of adventure and science fiction, which received the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
It tells the story of a pilot named Tuck who volunteers for a new project that consists of reducing him to a miniature and then inserting him into a capsule as if it were a chip. Chip that will be placed on a rabbit. That is the objective but, due to different circumstances, it will be miniaturized in a man, in a truly hypochondriac individual.
A situation that will cause both characters to do everything in their power to reverse everything that happened.
In addition to the above, we cannot ignore the fact that CHIP is also the name of a healthcare facility. We are referring to the Private Comprehensive Hospital Complex that exists on Avenida Carlos Haya in Malaga (Spain).
