Silicon (Si), from the latin word for flint, silicis, is a metal-like element (metalloid) with similar atomic properties to carbon. In addition to being responsible for the inner workings of technology, silicon makes up a substantial portion of Earth’s crust: rocks, sand, minerals, etc. It is also makes up a large part of glass. However, computer chips are the only place you will find pure silicon.

I had a spare (better put, broken) laptop lying around. So I took it apart with the aim of getting the CPU. In the process I found a niece chunk of copper acting as the heat sink.

I disassembled the laptop and removed the motherboard. Using metal shears, I cut the CPU (top left) out. I used a precision flathead screwdriver to break off the glass covering the silicon wafer, then used a soldering iron to separate the chip from the remaining circuit board.

The resulting wafer of silicon has a network of pathways visible on it when under light.