Basics of Microchips Flashcards
All Citationshttps://www.asml.com/en/technology/all-about-microchips/microchip-basics https://semiconductor.samsung.com/support/tools-resources/dictionary/semiconductors-101-part-7-all-about-the-fab-the-birthplace-of-semiconductor-chips/
What is a microchip?
Microchip is a set of electronic circuits on a small flat piece of silicon.
On the chip, what does transistors act as?
Transistors act as miniature electrical switches that can turn a current on or off
How are the pattern of tiny switches created?
The pattern of tiny switches is created on the silicon wafer by adding and removing materials to form a multilayered latticework of interconnected shapes.
What does semiconductor mean?
Silicon is a ‘semiconductor’, meaning that its conductive properties can be increased by mixing it with other materials such as phosphorus or boron. This makes it possible to turn an electrical current on or off.
How are silicon made?
Silicon is made from sand, and it is the second most abundant element on earth after oxygen. Silicon wafers are made using a type of sand called silica sand, which is made of silicon dioxide. The sand is melted and cast in the form of a large cylinder called an ‘ingot’. This ingot is then sliced into thin wafers.
What is space cleanliness measurement in FAB?
Class; It signifies how many particles of more than 0.5 micrometer are in 1 cubic foot
What does Clean Room Class 1000 mean?
Space where there are less than 1000 particles larger than 0.5 micrometers
What is Class in semiconductor industry?
Scale that shows the cleanliness of a space
How are clean room garments designed?
These clean room garments are designed so that fine particles such as a dust do not escape and even prevent static electricity, which may impact the semiconductor integration circuit.
FOUP
Wafer Delivery Box; Container that was designed to store or safely move wafers and can be seen as a box that is dedicated for wafer delivery
OHT
Delivery Vehicle that moves wafers. Delivery Vehicle that moves FOUP to wherever it needs to go
Why is ASML’s EUV(Extreme Ultraviolet) Technology important?
ASML’s EUV (extreme ultraviolet) technology enables the scale of the smallest feature to be reduced even further. The smaller the features in the patterns that our systems can create, the more transistors manufacturers can fit on a chip, and the more the chip can do.
What are the two major ways to categorize microchips
By Functionality ; By Type of Integrated Circuitry.
When categorized by the type of integrated circuitry
A chip can be analog, digital or mixed.
Difference between analog and digital function
The difference has to do with electric signals they process. In digital chips, the signasl are binary while in analog chips, the signals are continuous.
In terms of functionality, there are four main categories
Logic Chips, Memory Chips, Application-Specific Integrated Chips(ASICs), System on a chip devices(SoCs)
Logic chips are the ‘brains’ of electronic devices – they process information to complete a task. Among Logic chips, — are the ‘original’ chips, first designed in the 1960s. But there are also processors with specific functionality in mind, such as —, which are optimized for visual display) and —s (—s, designed for deep and machine learning applications).
Logic chips are the ‘brains’ of electronic devices – they process information to complete a task. Among Logic chips, CPUs (central processing units) are the ‘original’ chips, first designed in the 1960s. But there are also processors with specific functionality in mind, such as GPUs (graphical processing units, which are optimized for visual display) and NPUs (neural processing units, designed for deep and machine learning applications).
Memory chips store information. There are two types of Memory: —. Volatile Memory chips, such as DRAM (—), are the ‘working memory’ chips that save data only while the device’s power is turned on. Non-volatile Memory chips such as — Flash save data even after the device is turned off. For example, DRAM helps to run programs on your device, whereas — stores your photos. Whereas DRAM is fast,— is slow to read and write data.
Memory chips store information. There are two types of Memory: volatile and non-volatile. Volatile Memory chips, such as DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), are the ‘working memory’ chips that save data only while the device’s power is turned on. Non-volatile Memory chips such as NAND Flash save data even after the device is turned off. For example, DRAM helps to run programs on your device, whereas NAND stores your photos. Whereas DRAM is fast, NAND is slow to read and write data.
Simple, single-purpose chips used for performing repetitive processing routines such as scanning a barcode.
ASICs
— are essentially integrator chips. They are a relatively new type of chip that combines many chips and circuits in a single chip and may integrate things such as graphics, audio, camera, video and Wi-Fi.
SoCs
Chip improvements are behind the incredible increase in computing power and memory function that has allowed technology to advance to where it is today. 1956 to 2015, computing power increased one trillion-fold, thanks to chips. Think about this: the computer that navigated the Apollo missions to the moon was about —. It had 32.768 bits of — and 589.824 bits of —. A modern smartphone has around 100,000 times as much processing power, with about a — times more RAM and — times more ROM.
Chip improvements are behind the incredible increase in computing power and memory function that has allowed technology to advance to where it is today. 1956 to 2015, computing power increased one trillion-fold, thanks to chips. Think about this: the computer that navigated the Apollo missions to the moon was about twice as powerful as a Nintendo console. It had 32.768 bits of Random Access Memory (RAM) and 589.824 bits of Read Only Memory (ROM). A modern smartphone has around 100,000 times as much processing power, with about a million times more RAM and seven million times more ROM.
