The most commonly used raw material for making computer chips is silicon. This natural semiconductor — which is found in large quantities in beach sand — is effective for manufacturing transistors. Injecting imperf. Another semiconductor with several uses in computer chips is germanium. It is crucial for making solar cells, fiber optic cables, satellite imagery sensors and military applications like. Found in trace amounts in bauxite and zinc ores, manufacturers use this raw material to make gallium arsenide for use in electronic chips. It is also useful in barometers, nucl. This semiconductor has a high-collector, large emitter capacitance, a direct bandgap and low current density, making it popular for creating microelectronics. It is used in electronics like la. Manufacturing p-type and n-type semiconductors requires adding impurities to the silicon crystal to alter its electrical properties, a process called doping. P-type semiconductors.