Chip In

Discover the world of microelectronics

Insights From the Film

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Semiconductor chips may be tiny, but they have a giant impact on the world around us. They power how we communicate, travel, entertain ourselves, and live our daily lives. Follow three young people as they explore the huge, future-focused, and exciting world of microelectronics.

Photo of Laura Angell, a group lead at ASML, in her office

Photo of roadtrippers Tara, Alyssa, and Marcus looking at a computer monitor

Headshot photo of Naeiri Cholakian, the
director of product engineering at Syntiant

Photo of the roadtrippers and a tour guide in hazmat suits at ASML headquarters

Photo of roadtrippers Alyssa, Tara, and Marcus taking a break from their journey by a bridge

Headshot photo of Jessica Heerboth, a software engineer at NVIDIA

Photo of the roadtrippers outside with Ron Duncan, senior manager of corporate applications engineering at Synopsys

Headshot photo of Ron Duncan, senior manager of corporate applications engineering at Synopsys

Photo of roadtripper Marcus smiling with the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance

Photo of Rebecca Park, a senior integration engineer at Samsung, posing by the green RV with the roadtrippers

Headshot photo of A.J. Rivero, a systems integration engineer for Torc Robotics

Photo of the roadtrippers at the front of the green RV with Chelsea Dubose, a research systems engineer, and a male tour guide at Tokyo Electron Ltd.

Headshot photo of Dean Barre, a graduate of Austin Community College's Advanced Manufacturing Program 

Photo of roadtripper Marcus in a lab with Laura Marmojelo, Associate Dean of Advanced Manufacturing Programs at Austin Community College

Photo of roadtrippers Marcus, Tara, and Alyssa eating some food outside

Photo of roadtripper Alyssa looking pensive

Photo of roadtripper Marcus looking pensive

Photo of roadtripper Tara looking toward camera

Micro-Electronics Roadtrip

I believe technology can help solve all the problems. [MUSIC] &gt;&gt; Semiconductors are involved in everything. &gt;&gt; Microelectronics are basically in for the most part chips. They're in everything these days. You have chips in phones and computers. &gt;&gt; Medical devices, airplanes, jet fighters. &gt;&gt; Cars are using those chips to do sensing, to do automatic braking. &gt;&gt; They're everywhere. They're in everything. But at the same time, it's also an industry that not many people know about. &gt;&gt; So I'm gonna be traveling with Marcus and Tara. &gt;&gt; Three random people are going on a 34 foot RV, to travel the west coast and kind of find ourselves. &gt;&gt; We're gonna be interviewing different people in the microelectronics fields. &gt;&gt; We make the machines that make the semiconductors. &gt;&gt; I help qualify our AI chips to production. &gt;&gt; This is our first generation chip, it's kind of size of a pepper flake. &gt;&gt; It's been nice to meet people in microelectronics and good to see kind of the side I haven't seen, the semiconductor side of it. &gt;&gt; What excites you about the work you do at work? &gt;&gt; It's something that's never been done before, and I think that's the most exciting part, it's still a problem that needs to be solved. [MUSIC] &gt;&gt; Right now I feel like my future is kind of foggy. &gt;&gt; I struggle with impostor syndrome a lot. &gt;&gt; The good thing about engineering and science and technology, is if you can solve the problem, it doesn't really matter what you look like. &gt;&gt; I grew up not knowing any women engineers, so I was like, okay, I think that's something important I can do, I can become one. &gt;&gt; Not everybody has to take one path, learn everything you can and then think about how you can share that with the next generation. &gt;&gt; I think seeing the world is the best way to grow as a person. [MUSIC] It makes you think a different way and think outside the box. And that's what engineering is about, is thinking outside of the box and problem-solving. &gt;&gt; There was never a moment where you sit down and be like, that's it, I'm successful, I've made it. &gt;&gt; This technological advancement in the field that you might be walking in are changing our lives. [MUSIC] 

Three young people seek out opportunities to make an impact in the innovative world of microelectronics.

Chip In Trailer

Three STEM program graduates discover how semiconductors lay the foundation for modern life.

Episode 1: Leading Edge

living in an RV is interesting. cons for sure. it's been a cool experience. everybody's locked in? &gt;&gt; Marcus: I feel like every day I wake up and see Tara and I'm really out here, still, it's not a dream, pinching myself. we're about halfway through the trip right now. and now we're in San Diego. the three interviews we've had, different perspectives. inspiring to see somebody in person who is doing the work, the road, I think it's really good for you as a person. it's really easy to get stuck in the everyday nine to five grind. not talking to new people and experiencing new things. a lot more, kinda stepping into another form of myself. trying to figure out what kind of work I wanna do and science I wanna get into. kind of the side I haven't seen, the semiconductor side of it. are involved in everything. we make the machines that make the semiconductors. designing chips here. at least in San Diego, help make the feature size on those chips even smaller. had something like 140 computer chips in it. chips to do sensing, to do automatic braking. everybody's cell phones have a number of chips in them. are really improving our ability to care for people. at semiconductors as medical implants because they're light enough. of materials that work with the human body. sight that's lost it by implanting a chip and the whole realm of everything for diabetes. wearable because we've improved the way semiconductors work. ASML's clean room and it was a really cool experience. suits was super fun. look for you, Marcus. &gt;&gt; Tara: Why we put on bunny suits is so particles, or dirt, or room that could have affect the equipment. pretty massive, I'm a short person, so it was like dragging. tripping over their toes. &gt;&gt; Alyssa: [LAUGH] Actually, when we went up the stairs, was like, let me not fall onto the machine. it felt like an honor to be on that tour. gonna see the new technology. &gt;&gt; Speaker 5: What this is is probably the most important part in and fires out through here. out through here, being hit by a CO2 laser. creates EUV energy or plasma how you got into engineering? wanted to do that as a kid, or that were engineers, or kind of encouraged you to do that? a family of engineers at all. &gt;&gt; Laura: My mom is an acupuncturist, my brother went to recording engineering school, so over the place. this is what the career progression is, wide open to me, and I always loved math and science. came really naturally to me. the higher up I got, there weren't very many other women. there should be. even if it's awkward for me. relate to Laura, of real close role models in an engineering field. paved her own path. afraid of being unique. you will also help you reach your highest potential. with impostor syndrome a lot. and as a full-time software engineer entering the industry, even though I did get my degree. it was a weird feeling. am I just the diversity hire? be like, I'm just not meant for this field. somebody else compared to me? successful, it's hard to see, did they ever doubt themselves? white men, so it is really cool for us to interview of a typical software dev or electrical engineer. bringing a novel AI edge idea into reality, power consumption. and alongside other things, sensor applications using neural decision processors. chip, it's kind of the size of a pepper flake. &gt;&gt; Alyssa: Yeah, I didn't consider it's like this one. we have shipped over 20 million of these devices already. on what is possible with AI. vocal algorithms and biomarkers combined with an AI chip, anxiety, depression. this chip through rigorous exactly what it promised to do. the system and bench testing. decision processor here, a temperature sensor to kinda detect the person. the image with the heat, then you will not miss. security cameras that are detecting motion, and there's an actual person there, all right. Iran, I actually grew up there, years ago with my family, immigrated here. school graduate that left all the friends and into an unknown territory. into math, science. women engineers around me. I think that's something important I can do. do something important with my life, and make a difference. to ask you about, how do you know that you wanna either stay wanted to explore other fields? in computer science, syndrome and feel like why did I get hired for this job. when I joined, first of all, group being in a male dominated industry. I was not being heard. I didn't see any women on the table. back, I was like, I will not let this set barriers for me. road blocks and I'm sad to say that there still are. of these setbacks, I challenge myself even further, traveled around the world. foundries to see what they're doing and quality aspect. &gt;&gt; Naeiri: It is very cool. but it just immediately boosted my confidence. the right place and you are in the right place and you belong. yourself to do things out of your comfort zone. the potential to find the better version of you. advancements in the field that you might be walking create boundaries for you. vulnerable with us. syndrome, as well. like engineering where it's so competitive. gonna come and go, but pushing forward, you get wherever you wanna be. we've made it to Morro Bay. they're laying there! anything like that before. time I rode a boat, looking in the water, just being out in the world. started to hurt cuz I was smiling so much. once in a lifetime experiences. they're super, super chill. being with two awesome people. all these cities I've never been to before. best way to grow as a person. Big Sur is probably top two experience of my the cliffs. uncertainty about the future. about exactly what I wanna do. as well as environmentalism and justice. the intersection of that, right, of microelectronics or climate change mitigation. like my life to contribute towards helping people. I think doubt, that type of stuff exists. final point where I'm ready to jump into the waters. trip is going to serve all three of us that way and get to that point. interviewing Ron Duncan and corporate applications engineer at Synopsys. semiconductor or electronics company in the world, that my team consults with and works with. that will trick the light, reflect and refract, can't resolve because the features are too small, I wanna design. light bounces, it'll actually give me the right thing. reverse engineering. one example of the magic the industry has had for smaller, less power, and faster. to know that you're part of the evolution and that's changed things so much. off, I just wanted to know how you got your introduction into you always wanted to do that? engineering course. transistor with a gain of beta. you take the next course, you'll find out. a device structures and this is how they're made. well how do they optimize it, well, you take the next course. physics courses. I took this AI course, a software course. and I said it's so elegant, and which one should I do? that said, loosely speaking, of when I was 20. important though. over the years is that, I'm coming to a summit and in life and everything's gonna go smooth from there. you know, I like the big picture, software security, the environment. to solve in these areas and should get excited about, and apply your statistics, your hands on ability to do things to solve these problems. as just engineering. solving problems that the world needs solved. use all of this fantastic opportunity that we have the problems that we should actually solve. &gt;&gt; Ron: That's- &gt;&gt; Ron: Right. just like social media. &gt;&gt; Alyssa: Or some other [LAUGH] stuff. global warming [LAUGH]. cool [LAUGH] man. get a degree in or what people go to school for end up doing in life. different journeys. what he did go to school for he did do. it was really motivating for myself. don't know what I want to do, do know and they did do it. love San Francisco. I think it's a really cool city. definitely move to the Bay Area. bigger all of a sudden [LAUGH]. looking for jobs cuz most companies that you wanna work have a college degree and I haven't finished mine. bootcamp where they taught basics that you needed to get started in IT. something that I like doing and stick with it. forward to when I get back. things like that, should I go back to school? we had to really rush to for our final interview. the Bay Area to Portland, seeing all the trees, supposed to be about is seeing nature and stuff like that too. be interviewing Billy Rios, QED Secure Solutions. makes a lot of money, so my certifications in that. speak to him is crazy so I'm really excited. &gt;&gt; Billy: [LAUGH] The one piece I think that shaped me the most, I can talk about this. I think 30 minutes, national nuclear arsenal. he couldn't control this. his staff whether or not it could have been a cyber attack. we have no idea, right? they assembled a team of people who knew cybersecurity. directed by the President. into places and say, hey, we need to look at that thing and I don't know about that. we'll tell Barack- &gt;&gt; Tara: [LAUGH] that you have a problem with it. access to things, did a lot of crazy things, got up and close to these big giant missiles. the president, right? kinda think about all the things I did, shaped a lot of who I am and kinda what I do. doing cybersecurity basically all my life. a betting person, you would not bet on Billy Rios. barely spoke English. high school. of money as a kid. a situation where the future was not very clear, but first feel like you were interested in IT? with a piece of technology where you were like, wow, I really wanna get into? That's a good question. memories I have of doing cybersecurity and into video games. and just alter the software to where my character couldn't die that it's not supposed to have and things like that. piece of it, right? sat me down and said, hey, this is cybersecurity. foundational pieces and a lot of those foundational pieces I so just at a higher stake, but it's still fun, yeah. as a kid, teenager, in my 20s, you would probably not say to build a multimillion dollar company, get bought, cybersecurity, just the things that he loves to do, right? was actually very small cybersecurity industry. in cybersecurity. cybersecurity, basically just tinkering with things. networks that we probably shouldn't have been in, the government for a while, catching hackers. some large high tech firms on cybersecurity roles. just kind of the culmination of a lot of different jet fighters, military weapons, kind of our focus. to circle back to your education cuz right now I'm college courses trying to get into IT, but they kinda throw a lot of fluff at you first. certification, I'm kinda trying to figure out what's next. figuring out the unknown? it's okay to look forward and be like, the future holds. my path was not the straight path to success that I think that it is, right? in the middle of that and you're in the middle of a grind or me to kinda continue going forward to do the things that I point I just decided, I'm passionate about and that I love. grinding, when it comes to the long path, when it comes to it easier to accept that, cuz you really love what you're doing. is just to stay curious. degree that's information security related. in computer science. one of our principal security engineers and researchers, and he's really good. piece is probably the most important part of it. browser researcher basically. at web browser and that's what I loved to do. of places like Microsoft and places like Google, right? hey, do you wanna do this for a living? free, right? I won't say do that, but that just shows you how much I &gt;&gt; Marcus: How passionate you are, yeah. right? me to stay on top of the latest cuz just love it. problem set, there's gonna be a place that's gonna hire you. and you're most curious about and just go for it, right? and just go as deep as you can, stay curious. trip in its entirety broadened my perspective but hearing from a variety of people and their positions has shown to me that there's me to also be like that within the industry. a lot out of this trip. trying to figure out what I wanna do still. advice where I just need to keep exploring and keep learning. but sometimes you just have to throw yourself out there to might not get again, and I think this was one of them. I was feeling uncomfortable, unsure, but more like a guided way. that I don't really have to have my life and out in a certain way. things that I really think I like and stuff like that. have a college degree, I'm a continuous learner. that I don't really know about. with a new inspiration to just kind of figure out what path what sub-field of computer science I wanna be in and a lot of inspiration to keep learning and keep being curious. leaders have to share with us, now it's my job to act on it. or are going to feel times when you're like the only one. in your work group. person in your organization, whatever it is, right? and science and technology is if you can solve the problem, what you look like. all right guys. 

The roadtrippers get a behind-the-scenes look into how microelectronics impact the world—and how they can impact the world of microelectronics themselves.

Episode 2: Making Micro

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CNN Anchor/Special Correspondent

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President

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Sr. Integration Engineer

I prefer to work with Ph.D. students, not master's degree students. I won't work with you.

Rebecca Park

About Rebecca

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