Eight Major Steps to Semiconductor Fabrication, Part 1

A wafer, also called a disc, is a thin, glossy slice of a silicon rod that is cut using specific diameters. Most wafers are made of silicon ... SamsungNewsroom'svideoswillnolongerbesupportedonInternetExplorer.Pleasetryadifferenttypeofwebbrowser. close skiptocontent Corporate People&Culture Citizenship Technology Design Other Products Mobile TVs&Displays HomeAppliances NetworkSolutions Semiconductors Other Insights Editorials FeaturedStories PressResources FASTFACTS PressRelease Statements Photos Infographics Videos Menuopen Searchopen Nationchoicepagelink Searchclose Search X Search GalaxyZFlip4GalaxyZFold4BESPOKETheFreestyle Advancedsearch Day Day Anytime Pastweek Pastmonth Pastyear Customrange Sortby Sortby Recent Popular ContentType ContentType All Article PressRelease OK Cancel CLOSE EightMajorStepstoSemiconductorFabrication,Part1:CreatingtheWafer onApril22,2015 Share Shareopen/close Print Shareopen/close Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Mail URLcopy URLCopied. Layerclose   Althoughanintegratedcircuit(IC),alsoknownasasemiconductorchip,maydeceiveyouwithitsfingernail-sizedformfactor,itisactuallypackedwithbillionsofelectroniccomponents—transistors,diodes,resistors,andcapacitors—whichallworktogethertoperformlogicoperationsandstoredata.   So,whatdoesittaketomanufacturethiskindofcircuit,youask?   ThetechnologybehindengineeringanICgoesfarbeyondthesimpleassemblingofindividualcomponents.Infact,microscopiccircuitpatternsarebuiltonmultiplelayersofvariousmaterials,andonlyafterthesestepshavebeenrepeatedafewhundredtimesisthechipfinallycomplete.   Today,weareintroducinganewseriesthatwillwalkyouthroughtheentiremanufacturingprocessofthisadvanceddevice,fromtherawmaterialstagetothefinaltestingofthesemiconductorchip.Theserieswillconsistofeightpartsandwillbepublishedweekly.   Readonforthefirstpartoftheseries,whichintroducesthe“canvas”forintegratedcircuits,otherwiseknownasthesiliconwafer.   What’sawafer?   Awafer,alsocalledadisc,isathin,glossysliceofasiliconrodthatiscutusingspecificdiameters.Mostwafersaremadeofsiliconextractedfromsand.Themainadvantageofusingsiliconisthatitisrichinsupply,beingthemostabundantelementinnature,justafteroxygen.Itsenvironmentallyfriendlypropertiesareanaddedbonus.   Buildinganingot,thefoundationforwafers   Oncesiliconisextractedfromsand,itneedstobepurifiedbeforeitcanbeputtouse.First,itisheateduntilitmeltsintoahigh-purityliquidthensolidifiedintoasiliconrod,oringot,usingcommongrowingmethodsliketheCzochralski(chokh-RAL-skee)processortheFloatingZoneprocess.   Endscutofffromsiliconrods,oringots   ThepopularCzochralskimethodusesasmallpieceofsolidsilicon(seed)whichisplacedinabathofmoltensilicon,orpolycrystallinesilicon,andthenslowlypulledinrotationastheliquidgrowsintoacylindricalingot.Thisiswhythefinishedwafersareallrounddiscs.   Givingnewmeaningtotheterm“wafer-thin”   Beforeitiscompletelycooled,thecone-shapedendsoftheingotarecutoffwhilethebodyisslicedintothinwafersofuniformthicknesswithsharpdiamondsawblades.Thisexplainswhyaningot’sdiameterwouldultimatelydeterminethesizeofawafer.Intheearlydaysofthesemiconductorindustry,waferswereonlythreeinchesindiameter.Sincethen,wafershavebeengrowinginsize,aslargerwafersresultinmorechipsandhigherproductivity.Thelargestwaferdiameterusedinsemiconductorfabricationtodayis12inches,or300mm.   Smoothingthingsout–thelappingandpolishingprocess   Slicedwafersneedtobepreppedbeforetheyareproduction-ready.Abrasivechemicalsandmachinespolishtheunevensurfaceofthewaferforamirror-smoothfinish.Theflawlesssurfaceallowsthecircuitpatternstoprintbetteronthewafersurfaceduringthelithographyprocess,whichwewillcoverinalaterposting.     Knowyourwafer   Eachpartofafinishedwaferhasadifferentnameandfunction.Let’sgooverthemonebyone.     1. Chip:atinypieceofsiliconwithelectroniccircuitpatterns 2. ScribeLines:thin,non-functionalspacesbetweenthefunctionalpieces,whereasawcansafelycutthewaferwithoutdamagingthecircuits 3.TEG(TestElementGroup):aprototypepatternthatrevealstheactualphysicalcharacteristicsofachip(transistors,capacitors,resistors,diodesandcircuits)sothatitcanbetestedtoseewhetheritworksproperly 4. EdgeDie:dies(chips)aroundtheedgeofawaferconsideredproductionloss;largerwaferswouldrelativelyhavelesschiploss 5.FlatZone:oneedgeofawaferthatiscutoffflattohelpidentifythewafer’sorientationandtype   Thisbringsustotheendofthefirstpartoftheseries.Wanttoknowwhathappensnext?Then,staytunedforPart2,asSamsungTomorrowwilltakeyouthroughthediscproductionstagebydiscussingtheoxidationprocessofthewafernextweek.   InKorean, http://samsungsemiconstory.com/95. TAGSCreatingtheWaferFabricationSemiconductor Products>Semiconductors Foranyissuesrelatedtocustomerservice,pleasegoto CustomerSupportpageforassistance. Formediainquiries,pleaseclickMediaContacttomovetotheform. MoreonLatest RSSFeed GetdailyupdatesfromSamsungNewsroom SAMSUNG Sitemap MediaContact SAMSUNG.COM TermsofUse PrivacyandCookies Copyright©2010-2022SAMSUNGAllRightsReserved. facebook Instagram YouTube Twitter LinkedIn MediaLibrary RSS GoogleNews Sitemap Corporate People&Culture Citizenship Technology Design Other Products Mobile TVs&Displays HomeAppliances NetworkSolutions Semiconductors Other Insights Editorials FeaturedStories PressResources FASTFACTS PressRelease Statements Photos Infographics Videos LayerClose TOP imageZoom-in imageZoom-out close