An integrated circuit (IC) is a circuit that’s built up by depositing a series of thin layers of film on a base material. The base material is usually a thin disk or wafer of germanium or silicon about one inch in diameter. After the desired number of layers of film has been deposited on the base in succession, the surface of the wafer is divided into many tiny squares. Then, each square is converted by certain precise processes into a complex electronic circuit with many components. Finally, each wafer is cut into sections so that each section carries a single circuit, and each section is placed in an individual case.
