This story of future electronic component materials begins in the distant past. Consider the Stone Age that lasted for millions of years, when mankind was limited to tools made of, well, stone. Just a few thousand years ago, the Bronze Age brought in metalworking using copper and tin. What followed in the relatively more modern Iron Age was basically iron alloyed with carbon to make steel. These phases of early technology have very short bills of material.
Fast forward to today, where microelectronics is based on complex thin films that are typically, but not exclusively, on silicon substrates. These devices may incorporate dozens of chemical elements and many more chemical compounds. One such list that covers just semiconductor materials, compound materials, and alloys made of between one and four chemical elements numbers over 100. The necessary peripheral components like passives and interconnect add even more.