Silicon chips are manufactured using a chemical process that has been constantly refined over the past forty years. The integrated circuit otherwise known as "The Chip" was invented by both Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce.
Chemical Science
A Jubilee Celebration
Highlights from the past 50 years of development in the Chemical Sciences



Further info :

The Computer Industry: A Brief History
http://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/mendelson/computer_history/intro.htm