What basic property of ''silicon'' is useful in computer chips?

Silicon- ''Si'' is a non-metallic chemical element in the carbon family. It is second most abundant element in the earth's crust. Silicon is the material used to make computer chips, transistors, diodes, and other electronic circuits and switching devices.

This is because the element silicon is an ideal semiconductor. Silicon is commonly doped or mixed with other elements, such as boron, phosphorous and arsenic to alter its conductive properties. To add elements into a semiconductor material during its manufacturing process increases its conductivity. It promotes impurities which are called dopants. The type and level of doping determines whether the semiconductor is N-type (current is conducted by excess free electrons) or P-type (current is conducted by electron vacancies). Silicon was first isolated and described as an element in 1824 by Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist.