How Does Computer Chip Work | Computer Sales Professional

Computer Chip?

These Question's are enplaning is this page 

• What is a computer chip?

• What is another name for a computer chip?

• What is the difference between a computer chip and a CPU?

• What does chip stand for in computers?

• What is ChIP used for?

• What is inside a chip?

• Is A processor a chip?

Throughout this page (and in any other information you read about computers), you see references to chips. Processors reside on chips, as do memory and other types of computer circuitry. But what does this mean? What is a computer chip?

To understand how chips work, you have to think very small. That's because the transistors, circuits, and connections that exist on a computer chip are so tiny that their dimensions are sometimes measured in terms of atoms rather than millimeters or inches.

Most computer chips are created on very thin wafers, which are made of nearly pure silicon. (Silicon is a mineral that is purified and refined for use in chips. It is used in many other products, too.) Some chips may be made from other materials, such as various types of plastic, but the chips commonly found in personal computers are silicon- based.

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The Making of a Chip

• How is a chip made?

• What is the process of a chip?

• What is the process of designing a chip?

• What is the process cycle of making chips?

• How potato chips developed?

• How do Pringles get made?

• What is the architecture of a chip?

• Which software is used for chip design?

Transistors and circuits exist as tiny channels on the sur- face of a chip, which means they must be carved out of the silicon. To do this, chip manufacturers use a process called photolithography to physically etch out the tiny grooves and notches that make up the chip's circuits. In the first step of this process, the silicon wafer's surface is covered with a gooey substance called photoresist, which is sensitive to certain types of light.

Next, a glass pattern (called a mask) is placed over the wafer. This pattern is marked with the precise lines where each transistor and circuit will lie on the chip's surface. The manufacturer then shines ultraviolet light through the pattern; the pattern's dark lines "mask" the silicon wafer from the light, protecting it. The exposed photoresist reacts to the light that touches it, softening the silicon beneath it. The exposed silicon is washed away, leaving a pattern of fine tracings on its surface.

The manufacturer then coats the wafer's surface with ions. This coating changes the way the silicon conducts electricity, making it more efficient at moving electrons through its circuits. (Moving electrons represent the binary 1s and Os that make up data for the computer.) Because electrons are so small, the chip's circuitry can be very fine. In the next step of the process, atoms of metal (such as aluminum or copper) are placed in the etched channels on the wafer's surface. These connections will conduct electrons as they move through the chip. So Many Transistors, So Little Space.

Today's manufacturing processes are so precise that they can squeeze millions of transistors onto a single chip not much larger than a person's thumbnail. One way to achieve this is by etching the chip's surface in separate layers, liter- ally stacking sets of circuits on top of one another.

Another way is to place those circuits closer and closer together. Currently, chipmakers can place transistors so close that they are separated by less than a micron. (A micron is one-millionth of a meter.) Production technologies are constantly being refined. Today's popular PC processors contain tens of millions of transistors; in a few years, there may be as many as one billion transistors on a single processor chip.

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Computer Sales Professional

• What does a computer salesman do?

• What is the salary of a computer sales executive?

• What does a computer sales associate do?

• What skill is important to work as a computer sales representative?

• Is a sales associate a good career?

• What level is a sales associate?

Computer-based phone systems were so revolutionary back in 1996 that few companies were interested in them. That reluctance made Mike Plumer's job as salesperson for Alti-Gen Communications, a Fremont, California, manufacturer of server based phone systems, pretty challenging. "We were asking companies to buy something that they didn't even know existed," recalls Plumer, the firm's senior director of sales.

Plumer worked through the early challenges by finding other sales reps with a good mix of technical and business knowledge to join him, and by "knocking on a lot of companies' doors" to find those that were willing to purchase AltiGen's innovative products.

As with any new technology, AltiGen's products didn't stay unique for long as other companies began producing server-based systems. A public relations major who graduated from Iowa State University, Plumer continues to handle sales for the company while also overseeing its 14-person worldwide sales force. His day typically starts with a commute to work-time he uses to plan out the day ahead.

Upon arriving at the office, he makes calls to his field sales reps and managers for a "status check". In addition to selling and overseeing AltiGen's sales force, Plumer also handles myriad other tasks. When tele-tab communications companies are visiting for on-site sales training, for example, he may conduct a one-hour presentation on Voice over IP and networking. Such diversions keep the job interesting, says Plumer, who enjoys selling systems that range in price from $20,000 to $150,000.

"These sales require interaction not only with a company's tech personnel, but also with top decision makers," says Plumer. "You must be able to relate to people at the decision-making level while also displaying the technical aptitude needed to help them make those decisions." He sees future sales opportunities in the IT field as "very good," based on the fact that all high-tech companies rely on productive salespeople to push their products out to the masses. Computer sales professionals like Plumer sell a wide variety of products and services. Here are just a few:

PC Hardware Sales

 This field includes personal computers-desktops, portables, network servers, network computers, and handheld computers.

Enterprise Hardware Sales

 The term enterprise usually means "big company," and big companies often have specialized, high-level computing needs.

Specialty Hardware Sales

Nearly every kind of organization has some type of specialized hardware need, such as high-output color printers, storage subsystems, backup systems, and other peripherals.

Telecommunications Sales

Telecommunications and computer technologies go hand in hand, and today's businesses are hungry for both.

Software Sales

This industry extends beyond sales of operating systems and word processors; enterprise soft- ware includes massive database systems, network management software, data-mining tools, and other powerful and expensive packages.

Sales professionals are compensated in different ways, including straight salary, commissions, bonuses, profit sharing, stock options, and other rewards. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2004-05 Edition, the median annual earnings of sales 8resentatives in the computer and data processing services field were $55,740. In addition to their earnings, sales rep-resentatives are usually reimbursed for expenses such as transportation costs, meals, hotels, and entertaining customers.

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