ELECTRONICS AND

SEMI-CONDUCTORS
GROUP 1
ABUEG, BJORN ALEXIS P.
BRIOSO, JOHN LLOYD C.
MAGMANLAC, JIMLOYD C.
MEA, JERRALD BYRON S.
 INTRODUCTION: SAMSUNG GROUP
Samsung Group, South Korean company that is one of the world’s largest
producers of electronic devices. Samsung specializes in the production of a
wide variety of consumer and industry electronics, including appliances, digital
media devices, semiconductors, memory chips, and integrated systems. It has
become one of the most-recognizable names in technology and produces about
a fifth of South Korea’s total exports.

Now, Samsung is one of the major manufacturers of electronic components

globally. It is also one of the major suppliers of electronic products like batteries,
semiconductors, chips, flash memory and hard drive to companies such as
Apple, Sony, Nokia, etc. Samsung has also been the world's largest
manufacturer of television since 2006, and of smartphones since 2011. In 2017,
the company overtook Intel to also become the world's largest manufacturer of
semiconductor chips.
RAW MATERIALS

● Polysilicon
○ Obtained from quartzite, a quartz sandstone rock. Polysilicon is turned into
silicon ingots and is sliced into wafers for semiconductor use.
● Photo Resistant Coating
○ A coating that is sensitive to certain frequencies of light (“photo”) and is
resistant to certain chemicals that is used to remove portions of a layer of
material (“resist”) in the semiconductor making process.
● Aluminum
○ Acts as the interconnector for the different components of the circuit
present in the semiconductor.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 1: Creating the Wafer

● 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 extracted from sand. Once silicon is extracted from
sand, it needs to be purified before it can be put to use.

● It is heated until it melts into a high-purity liquid then solidified into a silicon rod, or ingot, using
common growing methods like the Czochralski (chokh-RAL-skee) process or the Floating Zone
process.

● The popular Czochralski method uses a small piece of solid silicon (seed) which is placed in a
bath of molten silicon, or polycrystalline silicon, and then slowly pulled in rotation as the liquid
grows into a cylindrical ingot. This is why the finished wafers are all round discs.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 1: Creating the Wafer

● Before it is completely cooled, the cone-shaped ends of the ingot are cut off while the body is
sliced into thin wafers of uniform thickness with sharp diamond saw blades.

● Sliced wafers need to be prepped before they are production-ready. Abrasive chemicals and
machines polish the uneven surface of the wafer for a mirror-smooth finish. The flawless
surface allows the circuit patterns to print better on the wafer surface during the lithography
process, which we will cover in a later posting.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

The largest wafer diameter used in

semiconductor fabrication today is
12 inches, or 300mm.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Know Your Wafer

1. Chip: a tiny piece of silicon with electronic circuit

patterns

2. Scribe Lines: thin, non-functional spaces between the

functional pieces, where a saw can safely cut the wafer
without damaging the circuits

3. TEG (Test Element Group): a prototype pattern that

reveals the actual physical characteristics of a chip
(transistors, capacitors, resistors, diodes and circuits) so
that it can be tested to see whether it works properly

4. Edge Die: dies (chips) around the edge of a wafer

considered production loss; larger wafers would
relatively have less chip loss

5. Flat Zone: one edge of a wafer that is cut off flat to

help identify the wafer’s orientation and type
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 2: Oxidation Process

●
Semiconductors first starts out as a pure polished silicon
wafer in a non-conductive state and Oxidation is the first
step of turning a non-conductive silicon wafer into a
semiconductor.

● Oxidation forces oxygen, or vapor, to diffuse into the wafer

surface at high temperatures between 800 and 1200°C so
that a thin, smooth layer of silicon dioxide can be created.

● There are a variety of oxidation methods, such as thermal

oxidation, electrochemical anodic oxidation and plasma-
enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Among
them, the thermal oxidation procedure performed at a high
temperature is most widely used.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Part 2: Oxidation Process

● The silicon dioxide (SiO2) layer protects the surface from

chemical impurities and pollutants that permeate during the
semiconductor making processes. Even tiny contaminants
invisible to the naked eye can alter resistivity or
conductivity and consequently damage the circuit’s
electrical properties. Therefore, shielding the surface from
these substances with a protective layer is crucial.

● Silicon dioxide layer doubles as a trustworthy guardian

against unintended adulteration during the ion
implementation stage, and as an insulator that separates
each part of the electrical circuit on the wafer to prevent a
short circuit.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 3: The Integrated Circuit

● Transistors serve as a power switch, and capacitors store energy electrostatically in an
electric field, just like a warehouse. Resistors control the current flow to other components
while diodes manage the direction of that flow.

● To fabricate an IC, a very minute and complex pattern on which all the circuitry are designed,
is transferred onto multiple layers of materials. The transferring process utilizes photomasks
that capture the miniaturized version of this pattern, just like film used for photographic
printing.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 4:Drawing Structures in Nano-Scale

● Photolithography is a process in which electronic circuit patterns are transferred

onto the wafer.

● Drawing a circuit on a wafer via the photolithography or ‘photo’ for short process is
quite similar to taking a picture and having a film developed.

● The photolithography process got its name from its role to transfer the circuit design
onto a wafer by exposing the patterned mask to light. Making a replica on a wafer is
like printing a black-and-white negative on light-sensitive paper.
 PRODUCTION PROCESS
1. Making the wafer surface into a photographic print
-Photoresist is applied evenly over the wafer surface.

-The additive can either be positive or negative depending on its

reaction to light.

-Areas with positive photoresist are removed during the developing

process when exposed to light, while those with negative
photoresist remain.

2. From film to print

Wafer is prepared with the PR layer, it then goes through the
stepper where the circuit design on the patterned mask is projected
and transferred onto it with ultraviolet light. Due to the scale in
semiconductor manufacturing, the area exposed to light is highly
controlled and selective.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 5: Etching a Circuit Pattern

The etching process in semiconductor
fabrication uses a liquid or gas etchant to
selectively remove unnecessary parts until the
desired circuit patterns are left on the wafer
surface. By repeating this process on multiple
layers, a semiconductor chip is eventually
born.

ETCHING
PROCESS
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 6: Addition of Electrical Properties

- Deposition refers to a series of processes where materials at atomic or molecular levels are
deposited on the wafer surface as a thin layer to contain electrical properties.

- Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) occurs as particles from the chemical reaction of gas are
deposited in the form of vapor activated by an external energy source. CVD can be used on
conductors and nonconductors, as well as semiconductors.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 6: Addition of Electrical Properties

For semiconductors to develop electric properties,

a process of implanting ions on the deposited
layer must follow. Ion implantation is the process
of implanting electrically charged particles onto a
semiconductor surface with circuit patterns. These
ions are referred to as “impurities” and include
boron (B), phosphorus (P) and arsenic (As). By
inserting impurities into the wafer surface in the
form of fine gas particles to a desired depth, the
silicon wafer acquires its electrical conductivity.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 7: The Metal Interconnect

● In order for these electronic elements in the semiconductor chip to be well-connected and
powered, the metal interconnect process happens. This process lets the electronic elements’
appropriate signals reach where they need to.

● This process is also known as laying down metal highways that bring semiconductors to life
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Utilizing metal’s conductive properties, the metal interconnect process creates metal circuits along
the pre-designed patterns. The metal used for semiconductor manufacturing must meet the
following requirements:

1. Adhesiveness to the semiconductor substrate (wafer):

The metal needs to easily and strongly adhere to the semiconductor substrate in thin film form.

2. Low electric resistance:

Since the metal circuits deliver the electric current, the substance must have low electric
resistance
PRODUCTION PROCESS

3. Thermal and chemical stability:

It is important that the attributes of the metal do not change during the metal interconnect process.

4. Easy formation of patterns:

Regardless of the quality of the metal, it is essential that the material can easily form patterns, especially during the
etching process.

5. High reliability:

With the advancement of integrated circuit technology, the metal interconnect material needs to be durable even in
minute scale.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

6. Manufacturing cost:

Even if the above conditions are met, the cost also has to be suitable for the mass production of
semiconductors.

The metals typically used in semiconductor manufacturing that meet the above criteria are
aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti) and tungsten (W).
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Because aluminum and silicon tend to react with each other, aluminum circuits on semiconductors
that are made of silicon may get damaged. To prevent this, a barrier metal is deposited.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Aluminum circuits are created through deposition. When a mass of aluminum is boiled in a
decompressed vacuum chamber, the chamber gets filled with aluminum particles. A wafer is then
inserted into the vacuum chamber, where the aluminum particles adhere to the wafer and form a
thin film. Because aluminum is vaporized and deposited in a high-vacuum environment, this is
called the evaporator process. Physical vapor deposition (also known as sputtering) using plasma
is also a method widely used today.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Part 8: Electrical Die Sorting (EDS)

EDS testing helps detect problems during wafer fabrication or design processes so as to give
feedback to the processing and design teams.

Here are the five stages of the EDS process.

1. ET (Electrical Test) & WBI (Wafer Burn-In)

During the electrical test, attributes such as DC voltage and the electric current parameters of
individual semiconductor elements (like transistor, resistance, capacitor and diode, for example) are
examined.

The subsequent wafer burn-in (WBI) process is an effective way to diminish defects at the initial stage
of production, which enhances the reliability of the final product. First, heat is applied to the wafer at a
certain temperature. Then, AC/DC voltage is applied to detect the potential causes of defect.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

2. Pre-Laser (Hot/Cold)

In this process, electrical signals determine whether each chip on the wafer is functional or faulty.
Repairable chips are stored for later processing. Thermal testing also takes place to catch defects
that can occur at specific temperatures.

3. Laser Repair & Post-Laser

Those same chips that were tagged for repairs in the previous process are then zapped by a laser
beam to mend the discrepancies. Once the repair is complete, the chips are tested again in the
post-laser process to ensure they were repaired properly.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

4. Tape Laminate & Back grinding

The tape laminate and back grinding processes are required when assembling very thin products,
such as IC cards that are used in transit cards or passports. The back side of the wafer is ground
using a grinding wheel made up of fine diamond particles. This process files down the wafer,
facilitating chip assembly. To protect the patterned surface of the wafer from dust and particles
during the grinding process, a UV tape is laminated on the front surface of the wafer to create a
protective layer. Once the grinding is complete, the tape is peeled off.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

5. Inking

The inking process, which we briefly touched on, allows the naked eye to easily distinguish
defective chips by special ink marks that are made on the chips before and after the laser
processes. Since the inked chips need not continue through the assembly and inspection
processes, materials, equipment, time and manpower can be managed much more efficiently.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

To ensure a high yield rate, it is significant to

maintain the cleanliness of the cleanroom, the
accuracy of the processing equipment and the
conditions of each process.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Part 9: Packaging and Package Testing

Semiconductor packaging involves enclosing integrated circuits (IC) in a form factor that can fit
into a specific device. Since a semiconductor chip, or IC, is mounted on a circuit board or used in
an electronic device, it needs to go through an electrical packaging process to be molded into the
appropriate design and form.

In other words, semiconductor packaging serves a variety of purposes: ensuring the inter-terminal
connection, supplying electricity, and providing heat resistance and protection for the IC. The
packaging also ensures protection from external factors, including humidity, chemicals, impact and
vibration.
 PRODUCTION PROCESS
First, wafers are cut into individual chips with a diamond
cutter. Faulty chips marked during the inking process are left
behind while functional chips are placed on a lead frame or
PCB (Printed Circuit Board), which are then attached with
balls that provide an electrical connection.

The lead frame delivers electrical signals between the

semiconductor chip and the board while offering structural
support to protect the chip from external humidity or impact.
Chips are connected to the lead frame with fine gold wires in
a process called wire bonding.

After the chips are attached to the lead frames, they undergo
the molding process, which gives them their exterior shells.
At this stage, intense heat is applied to an epoxy molding
compound (EMC) made of resin, which is liquefied and
shaped into the desired form.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Once the packaging process is complete, we have to determine if the package works properly. So,
it’s time to move on to the last stage, the package test, in which our packaged semiconductor
goes through the final quality assurance procedures.

Below is an example of the test procedures for DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory).

1. Assembly Out

A “lot card” is filled out with all the information related to the product, such as type, quantity,
number of I/O (bits), process details and owner. The lot card follows the product from beginning to
end, and is even kept for a period of time after the product’s release
PRODUCTION PROCESS

2. DC Test & Loading/ Burn-in (& Unloading)

Completed chips go through a DC test where defective units are sorted and removed, while potentially
faulty chips are identified in high-stress environments, such as high voltage, high temperature and
electric signals, during the burn-in process. The selected functional chips will go through another round of
subsequent tests to ensure the level of reliability required for our products is met.

3. MBT (Monitoring Burn-in Tester)

The monitoring burn-in tester (MBT) process is an advanced version of the burn-in test previously
mentioned, with the added advantages of a shorter test time and more rigorous testing criteria.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

4. Post Burn-in Test

The products that have made it this far are now subject to the post burn-in test, where we test
their electrical characteristics and functions at room temperature and below.

5. Final Test

The final test examines the products’ electrical characteristics and functions at high temperatures.

After going through the strenuous process of the package test, the semiconductor chip finally gets
its own identification; the name of the IC, date and origin of manufacture, product characteristics
and serial number are printed on the product surfaces.
APPLICATIONS

1) Memory
● DRAM
- Composed mainly of semiconductor memory that stores each bit of data in a memory
cell usually found in computers, laptops, and mobile phones

- Samsung has been providing the industry’s first DRAM solutions based on 10nm-class
process and HBM memory for use in applications ranging from High-Performance
Computing (HPC), advanced graphics and network systems, next-generation
datacenters, enterprise servers and artificial intelligence that deal with data-intensive
applications including real-time analytics, high-frequency trading and artificial
intelligence.
APPLICATIONS

● NAND flash

- Type of non-volatile storage technology that does not require power to retain
data.

- Samsung has been an innovator in flash memory technologies, offering a host of

high-performance, high-density, high-reliability data storage solutions for use in
PCs, enterprise storage, mobile devices, branded SSDs and external memory
cards.
APPLICATIONS

2) System LSI

● Application processor

- Provides a self-contained operating environment that delivers all system capabilities

needed to support a device's applications, including memory management, graphics
processing and multimedia decoding.

- Available with the industry’s most advanced process technologies, as well as the
latest multi-mode modem and connectivity solutions for 2G to 5G, Samsung’s flagship
processors bring outstanding performance and power efficiency to meet a wide range
of requirements of today’s smart and connected devices.
APPLICATIONS

● Image Sensor
is an electronic device that converts an optical image into an electronic signal

Samsung’s image sensors, when used for automotive applications, also offer safer
driving experiences with clearer views and more accurate object detection.
APPLICATIONS

3) Foundry
is a factory where castings are produced by melting metal, pouring liquid metal into a mold, then
allowing it to solidify.

Samsung has initiated its foundry business in 2005 and established it as an independent business
unit in 2017 to better serve its customers. By leveraging Samsung's long-withstanding
semiconductor fabrication expertise, Samsung's Foundry Business supports global fabless and
IDM semiconductor companies. Samsung offers full service solutions encompassing design kits
and proven IP to fully turnkey manufacturing to achieve market success with advanced IC designs
by Foundry, ASIC and COT engagements. Samsung's advanced low-power processes with High-
K metal gate technology offers SoC designers comprehensive foundry solutions with integrated
functionality and bandwidth as well as advantages in low power consumption.
REFERENCES
● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-1-creating-the-wafer

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-2-the-oxidation-process

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-3-the-integrated-circuit

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-4-drawing-structures-in-nano-scale

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-5-etching-a-circuit-pattern

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-6-the-addition-of-electrical-properties

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-7-the-metal-interconnect

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-8-electrical-die-sorting-eds

● https://news.samsung.com/global/eight-major-steps-to-semiconductor-fabrication-part-9-packaging-and-package-testing

● https://www.business-standard.com/about/what-is-samsung

● https://www.britannica.com/topic/Samsung-Electronics

● https://www.techopedia.com/definition/30413/image-sensor

● https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blog/what-is-a-foundry
INTRODUCTION (INTEL)

Intel, in full Intel Corporation, American manufacturer of

semiconductor computer circuits. It is headquartered in Santa Clara,
California. The company’s name comes from “integrated
electronics.”

Intel is one of the last companies that both designs and builds
chips as an integrated device manufacturer. Most other chip makers
– Nvidia, AMD or Qualcomm – design chips and then use a foundry,
such as TSMC, Samsung or Globalfoundries, to build them. Intel
also serves as a foundry. Staying at the leading edge of technology
is costly, and only a few companies – Intel, Samsung and TSMC –
sustain heavy investment to keep pioneering.
RAW MATERIALS

● Silicon Wafers and Ingots

○ Intel does not produce its own ingots and wafers, instead they purchase it from third party
companies that produces manufacturing-ready wafers.
● Photo Resistant Coating
○ A coating that is sensitive to certain frequencies of light (“photo”) and is resistant to certain
chemicals that is used to remove portions of a layer of material (“resist”) in the semiconductor
making process.
● Copper
○ Ionized into the chip’s transistors through electroplating. Forms the interconnection of transistors.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Photolithography

- A blue liquid, which is photoresist finish similar to

those used in films and photos, is applied onto the
silicon wafers.

- Photoresists gets its name from the fact that it is

sensitive to certain frequencies of light (“photo”) and is
resistant to certain chemicals that will be used later to
remove portions of a layer of material (“resist”).

- The silicon wafer is spun during this process to

ensure that the coating is evenly-distributed, smooth and
very thin.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Exposure

- The Photo Resistant coating is then exposed to

UV light, where the areas of the photo resistant
coating exposed to UV light becomes soluble.

- The exposure is done using a mask that acts

like a stencil so only a specific pattern of photoresist
becomes soluble. The mask has an image of the
pattern that needs to go on the wafer.

- The mask is optically reduced by a lens, and

the exposure tool steps and repeats across the wafer
to form the same image a large number of times.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

-The picture shows a representation of a

transistor and its appearance if it could see
with the naked eye

-Transistor acts as a switch, controlling the

flow of the electric current in a computer chip.
Intel researchers developed transistors so
small they claim roughly 30 million of them
could fit on a head pin
PRODUCTION PROCESS

-After being exposed to UV light, the blue

photoresist areas are completely dissolved by a
solvent .This reveals a pattern of photoresist
made by the mask

-The beginnings of transistors, interconnects,

and other electrical contacts begin to grow from
this point.

-The photoresist layer protects wafer material

that should not be etched away. Areas that were
exposed will be etched away with chemicals.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

After the etching, the photoresist is removed and

the desired shape becomes visible.

More photo resist (blue) is applied and then re-

exposed to UV light. Exposed photoresist is then
washed off again before the next step, which is
called ion doping. This is the step where ion
particles are exposed to the wafer, allowing the
silicon to change its chemical properties in a way
that allows the CPU to control the flow of
electricity.
PRODUCTION PROCESS
Through a process called ion implantation (one form of a
process called doping) the exposed areas of the silicon
wafer are bombarded with ions. Ions are implanted in the
silicon wafer to alter the way silicon in these areas conduct
electricity. Ions are propelled onto the surface of the wafer
at very high velocities. An electrical field accelerates the
ions to a speed of over 300,000 km/hour (roughly 185,000
mph)

After the ion implantation, the photoresist will be removed

and the material that should have been doped (green) now
has alien (unknown) atoms implanted.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

This transistor is close to being finished. Three

holes have been etched into the insulation layer
(magenta color) above the transistor. These
three holes will be filled with copper, which will
make up the connections to other transistors.

The wafers are put into a copper sulphate

solution at this stage. Copper ions are deposited
onto the transistor through a process called
electroplating. The copper ions travel from the
positive terminal (anode) to the negative terminal
(cathode) which is represented by the wafer.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

The copper ions settle as a thin layer on the wafer surface.

The excess material is polished off leaving a very thin layer of

copper
PRODUCTION PROCESS

Multiple metal layers are created to interconnects (think

wires) in between the various transistors. While
computer chips look extremely flat, they may actually
have over 20 layers to form complex circuitry. If you look
at a magnified view of a chip, you will see an intricate
network of circuit lines and transistors that look like a
futuristic, multi-layered highway system

This fraction of a ready wafer is being put through a first

functionality test. In this stage test patterns are fed into
every single chip and the response from the chip
monitored and compared to the right answer.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

After tests determine that the wafer has a good yield

of functioning processor units, the wafer is cut into
pieces (called dies).

The dies that responded with the right answer to the

test pattern will be put forward for the next step
(packaging). Bad dies are discarded. Several
years ago, Intel made keychains out of bad CPU
dies
PRODUCTION PROCESS

This is an individual die, which has been cut out in the

previous step (slicing). The die shown here is a die of
an Intel Core i7 processor.

The substrate, the die, and the heatspreader are put

together to form a completed processor. The green
substrate builds the electrical and mechanical
interface for the processor to interact with the rest of
the PC system. The silver heatspreader is a thermal
interface where a cooling solution will be applied. This
will keep the processor cool during operation.
PRODUCTION PROCESS

A microprocessor is the most complex

manufactured product on earth. In fact, it takes
hundreds of steps and only the most important
ones have been visualized in this picture story.

During this final test the processors will be tested

for their key characteristics (among the tested
characteristics are power dissipation and maximum
frequency).
 PRODUCTION PROCESS

Based on the test result of class testing processors with

the same capabilities are put into the same transporting
trays. This process is called binning. Binning determines
the maximum operating frequency of a processor, and
batches are divided and sold according to stable
specifications.

The manufactured and tested processors (Intel Core i7

processor) either go to system manufacturers in trays or
into retail stores in a box.
APPLICATION

● Used for making central processing units (cpu) used in personal computers, laptops, servers
and workstations for business and personal use.

● Used in making chipsets in the motherboard that controls the other components used in
computers such as the cpu, ram, etc.
REFERENCES

● https://download.intel.com/newsroom/kits/chipmaking/pdfs/Sand-to-Silicon_22nm-Version.pdf

● https://www.slideshare.net/abshinde/intel-cpu-manufacturing-process

● https://www.britannica.com/topic/Intel

● https://newsroom.intel.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2020/10/semiconductors-are-everywh
ere.pdf