The wafer revolution: How it’s changing the heart of the modern tech industry
2024/4/17 10:03:29
Views:
Wafer is a silicon base material used to manufacture integrated circuit chips. It is one of the basic materials for the manufacturing of electronic devices and integrated circuits. The wafer is made of single-crystal silicon material with a flat surface and highly pure structure. During the chip manufacturing process, wafers are cut into hundreds or even thousands of small squares, each of which becomes an independent chip.
The wafer has extremely high purity and flatness and is usually made of single crystal silicon material. The diameter of the wafer is generally 4 inches, 6 inches, 8 inches or 12 inches. The larger the size, the more chips can be manufactured.
The wafer preparation process includes selecting silicon single crystal material of appropriate purity, dissolution and recrystallization, and multiple steps of fine grinding and polishing to obtain a highly smooth surface. The surface quality of wafers is critical to chip manufacturing, as tiny defects or contamination can affect chip performance and reliability.
Wafers are the basis of chip manufacturing, providing a flat and highly pure surface on which integrated circuits are built. Each wafer can be cut into hundreds or even thousands of small squares, each of which becomes an independent chip. Wafer quality and preparation process accuracy directly affect chip quality and performance.
Chip manufacturing goes through multiple process steps on the wafer, such as photolithography, thin film deposition, ion implantation, chemical etching, metal deposition, etc. Each step requires high-precision equipment and process control to ensure chip quality and reliability.
Wafer testing is designed to detect whether the die on the wafer meets the design requirements, including basic characteristics such as voltage, current, and function. Testing can detect bad dies early and avoid wasting costs in subsequent processes. Testing machines, probe cards and probe stations are the hardware required for CP testing. Select appropriate equipment based on chip type and function.