Basically, yes. Those are silicon chips, with alternate layers of glass (SiO2) and metal deposited on top. The metal layers connect transistors that were built

Basically, yes. Those are silicon chips, with alternate layers of glass (SiO2) and metal deposited on top. The metal layers connect transistors that were built in the silicon chip proper in the first steps of fabrication. They are called integrated circuits because, instead of using a board to connect many pieces of silicon, a single piece of silicon has the whole circuit. More at the usual place, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit