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I was having a debate with my friend the other day (I'm the computer guy, he's a virologist), and he's insisting that quantum mechanics isn't one of the most complete and accurate scientific theories that exist, implying that there's "something more" out there. I threw out the trope of "If quantum mechanics weren't real, than [picks up cellphone] wouldn't exist", but he rebutted that statement by claiming that plain materials engineering is sufficient to make functional chips.

I dispute that claim. To what degree are quantum mechanical principles used in a practical fashion in the production of semiconductor devices? Bonus points if you can name additional applications which utilize quantum mechanics!

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check on physics.SO. you can create functional chips without accounting for quantum tunneling but then they will need to be bigger – ratchet freak May 8 '12 at 22:05
According to the FAQ, Skeptics.SE is for researching the evidence behind the claims you hear or read. This question doesn't appear to have any doubtful claims to investigate. Please edit it to reference a notable claim and flag for moderator attention to re-open (or get 5 re-open votes). – Sklivvz♦ May 8 '12 at 22:19
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Don't post to physics please, as we've already dealt with this question. – dmckee May 9 '12 at 0:03

closed as off topic by Sklivvz♦ May 8 '12 at 22:20

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