Semiconductors or chips are produced from silicon. Wafers are etched with millions of transistors that are hundreds of times smaller than a human hair. Semiconductors manage data by controlling electrical currents to form a variety of words, numbers, sounds, images and colors. They are widely used in integrated circuits and indirectly by everyone on earth. Some of these applications are everyday applications such as computers, telecommunications, and television, while others are used in advanced microwave transmissions, laser conversion systems, medical diagnostic and therapeutic equipment, defense systems, and the NASA space shuttle.