The small but mighty semiconductor has become an essential part of our high-tech world. Commonly called integrated circuits (ICs) or microchips, semiconductors are used in an ever-growing number of consumer, commercial, and industrial products. Although the landscape of end-uses is diverse, they all share a common thread: the need for electrical properties specific to the application. This paper discusses the needs and means of testing for impurities in raw materials, R&D, wafer production, process and cutting and discusses many of the challenges of the semiconductor industry including employee health and safety, waste management, trends, and more.