Semiconductor fabrication

Semiconductor fabrication is the sequence of processes that forms integrated circuits on semiconductor wafers, using patterned layers of materials to create electronic devices and connections.

Photolithography: A process that transfers geometric patterns onto a surface using light-sensitive material and optical exposure. It defines where later etching, deposition, and implantation alter each wafer layer.
Semiconductor wafer: A thin, flat slice of semiconductor material used as the substrate for manufacturing electronic devices. Fabrication begins on this shared substrate, where many copies of a circuit are formed.
Microprocessor: An integrated circuit that executes instructions and performs general-purpose computation. Its dense logic structures drive demanding requirements for transistor scaling and interconnects.
Bipolar junction transistor: A transistor in which current is controlled by charge carriers crossing two semiconductor junctions. Its device physics and process requirements differ from the field-effect transistors common in modern logic.
Moore's law: The observation that the number of components on an integrated circuit grew rapidly over successive generations. Manufacturing advances enabled the long-term density increases associated with this trend.
Thin-film deposition: The formation of thin material layers on a substrate by physical or chemical processes. Deposited films become conductors, insulators, and device materials in successive circuit layers.
Silicon: A chemical element and semiconductor widely used to make integrated circuits. Its controllable electrical behavior and mature processing make it the dominant wafer material.
Dynamic random-access memory: A volatile memory that stores each bit as charge in a capacitor controlled by a transistor. Its repeated cell structures favor processes optimized for density and uniformity.
Gallium arsenide: A compound semiconductor used in high-frequency and optoelectronic devices. It offers properties silicon lacks, but requires different substrates and fabrication processes.
Semiconductor device fabrication cost: The expense of building and operating facilities and processes that manufacture semiconductor devices. Cleanrooms, specialized equipment, and process complexity make production capital-intensive.

Linked from 14 pages