What is hidden inside a chip? We take microelectronics to the streets of Barcelona for the Festa de la Ciència 2025

This year the IMB-CNM participated in the Festa de la Ciència in Barcelona with an activity focused on integrated circuits, key to understand how technology and the technological devices we use every day work. The Festa de la Ciència brought together around 18,000 people over the weekend with the success of audiences of all ages. The aim of the proposal Desperta la curiositat: què s'amaga dins d'un xip? was to bring this apparently complex world closer to the general public, especially to children, through practical demonstrations and interactive materials.

The workshop, which was held on Sunday, June 1 at the Born Culture and Memory Center in Barcelona, consisted of a series of stations where participants could observe basic electronic circuits, experiment with fabrication materials (such as silicon, wafers and masks), and even dress up to enter a semiconductor fabrication clean room. With a playful and pedagogical approach, the public understood how transistors work, digital logic or the manufacturing processes of a chip.

The activity is organized in the framework of the project CHIPS: Un viaje por el circuito integrado, with the collaboration of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology - Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. It was made possible thanks to a multidisciplinary team from the institute: the researcher Mireia Bargalló, the technician Miguel Zabala, and the communicator Natalia Bermejo Gijón-Bonales.

The public response was very positive, with great participation and interest from both children and adults. 

More information about Barcelona's major outreach event on the City Council's website: