Chips supplier share how to make chips - Hong Kong Yatexin Electronics

Hong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., LtdAbout UsRm 705, 7/F, Fa Yuen Comm Bldg, No. 75-77, Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kln, Hong KongHeadquartered in Shenzhen, China with branch in Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., Ltd. is recommended to be a leader and innovator in professional distribution of Electronic Components. We specialized in providing passive board level components to OEMs and CEMs. Luckvenie has been always customer-driven and quality focused. We offer a wide selection of electronic components in stock with 24/7 order processing and rapid delivery.Hong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., LtdAbout UsRm 705, 7/F, Fa Yuen Comm Bldg, No. 75-77, Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok, Kln, Hong KongHeadquartered in Shenzhen, China with branch in Hong Kong, China, Hong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., Ltd. is recommended to be a leader and innovator in professional distribution of Electronic Components. We specialized in providing passive board level components to OEMs and CEMs. Luckvenie has been always customer-driven and quality focused. We offer a wide selection of electronic components in stock with 24/7 order processing and rapid delivery.Hong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., LtdHong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., LtdHong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., LtdHong Kong Yatexin Electronics Co., LtdHong Kong Yatexin

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Understand in one article | How did the chip come from?

Understand in one article | How did the chip come from?

August 08 , 2023 0

Chip, also known as an integrated circuit (IC), refers to a silicon wafer containing integrated circuits. It is very small in size and often constitutes a part of computers or other electronic devices. As the definition suggests, the birth of a chip requires silicon wafers as a foundation, and the raw material for silicon wafers is the sand we commonly see.

1. Chip Design

Generally speaking, manufacturing a finished chip involves three main processes: design, manufacturing, and packaging testing. Therefore, before manufacturing silicon wafers, chip design needs to take place, which includes creating circuit diagrams. First, the purpose and requirements of the chip must be clearly defined, and specifications need to be established. Then, detailed design is carried out on a computer .

2.Chip Manufacturing

(1)Silicon Wafer Manufacturing
The next step after chip design is chip manufacturing, which starts with the production of silicon wafers. The chemical formula of sand is silicon dioxide, and to obtain silicon wafers suitable for chip manufacturing, highly pure silicon needs to be extracted from sand. The purity level required for silicon is as high as 99.999999999%, meaning that, on average, there can be at most one impurity atom for every million silicon atoms. Achieving such an extraordinary level of purity demands extremely advanced refining techniques. Typically, carbon is added to the sand, and through high-temperature processes, repeated purification takes place. The resulting material is then melted and stretched into small cylindrical silicon crystals, known as silicon ingots. Each individual monocrystalline silicon ingot weighs approximately 100 kilograms.

(2)Wafer Manufacturing
After successfully extracting high-purity silicon, the next step is to manufacture silicon wafers. In this process, the silicon ingots are cut into numerous individual circular discs using diamond saws. These discs, after being polished, become silicon wafers, forming the "foundation" for the chips. Common wafer diameters include 8 inches (200mm) and 12 inches (300mm). Larger wafer diameters lead to lower costs per individual chip, but they also present higher processing difficulties.

(3)Photolithography
After the silicon wafers are manufactured, the next step is the well-known process of photolithography, which involves imprinting pre-designed patterns onto the silicon wafers. Before photolithography, the wafers are coated with three layers of materials: the first layer is silicon dioxide, the second layer is silicon nitride, and the final layer is photoresist. Photoresist is an essential consumable material and the core material of the photolithography process. During photolithography, the photoresist is dissolved under ultraviolet light, leaving behind patterns consistent with those on the mask. The mask contains the pre-designed circuit patterns. At this point, the computer's circuit design is etched onto the wafers. The photolithography process involves multiple layers, and each layer requires strict calibration. Even a minor oversight during the process can potentially lead to defective chips. The chemical material photoresist is mainly monopolized by Japanese companies, and in comparison, Chinese companies are relatively behind in this field, leaving ample room for development.

(4)Etching and Ion Implantation
After photolithography, the next steps are etching and ion implantation. If we liken photolithography to the preliminary construction of a rough foundation, etching and ion implantation are like the interior decoration and addition of functional areas to the foundation, enabling the entire transistor to possess information-carrying capabilities. In this step, chemical etching or plasma is applied to the surface of the silicon wafer, selectively removing material from positions not covered by the photoresist, creating depressions. Then, boron or phosphorus is implanted into the silicon structure, followed by copper filling to facilitate interconnection with other transistors.

Typically, a chip comprises several dozen layers of structures, resembling interwoven flyovers or elevated bridges. Photolithography machines are essential from the beginning of the photolithography process. The Dutch company ASML almost monopolizes the global market for photolithography machines, with over 50% of its technology originating from the United States, making it another field where we face limitations imposed by others.

(5)Annealing to Testing

After ion implantation, the subsequent steps include annealing, thin film deposition, electroplating, planarization, cleaning, and testing. Annealing aims to facilitate the migration of impurity atoms in the interstitial positions to substitute locations, requiring highly pure gases. Thin film deposition is primarily used to impart specific characteristics to the materials used. Electroplating is carried out to prevent metal oxidation (such as rusting), enhance wear resistance, conductivity, reflectivity, and corrosion resistance (e.g., copper sulfate), as well as improve aesthetics. This step involves the use of electroplating solutions. Planarization refers to the combination of chemical etching and mechanical polishing on the wafer's surface using CMP equipment. Cleaning is performed to remove nanoscale foreign particles on the silicon wafer substrate and requires the use of cleaning equipment. Finally, testing equipment is employed to carry out testing.

The entire chip manufacturing process involves numerous and complex steps. Each step requires precision and excellence; otherwise, a small error can lead to the failure of the final product.

Packaging and Testing

After the chip manufacturing is completed, the next stage is the packaging and testing phase. Precision cutters are used to slice the silicon wafers into individual chips. During the packaging phase, the substrate, chip, and heat sink are integrated, and then the whole assembly is enclosed and sealed within a casing, forming a complete processor.

At this stage, the tested chips have already been enclosed with a protective packaging layer, making them less fragile. Therefore, the testing environment requirements are not as stringent, and there is no need for testing in a clean room. However, during packaging testing, the physical barrier of the packaging limits the access of the testing probes to the internal components of the chip, which restricts the scope of testing and increases the complexity of the testing process.

Without further ado, typical chip packaging testing includes various electrical characteristic tests under different environmental conditions, such as power consumption, heat generation, operating speed, voltage resistance, and more. The testing process often involves extensive programming and burning-in verification steps. Sometimes, based on customer requirements, targeted tests are conducted to determine whether the chip meets their specific needs. When all the test results are satisfactory, the chip will be marked with specifications, model numbers, and the manufacturing date using silk screening, and then it will be ready for packaging and shipment.