Uncovering the mystery of the wafer: a journey of basic transformation from sand to chip

When it comes to "wafers", perhaps most people have a vague picture in their minds, or even mistakenly believe that it is just some ordinary industrial raw material. However, in fact, the wafer is the cornerstone of the modern electronic world, and almost every smart device is inseparable from its existence. In simple terms, a wafer is a circular thin sheet made of high-purity silicon, which is the core carrier for manufacturing integrated circuits (ICs), LED components, and other semiconductor devices.

It all started with one of the most common substances in nature-quartz sand. After high-temperature smelting and layer-by-layer purification, the originally humble silica gradually transforms into ultra-high-purity polysilicon particles. Subsequently, crystal growth is carried out in a special environment, and these materials finally form monocrystalline silicon rods with perfect atomic arrangement structure, which is the so-called "primary crystal column". The next step is to cut the thick silicon column into disc-shaped slices with a thickness of only a few millimeters, and polish them to get the initial wafer prototype.

Wafer Manufacturing: Technical Challenges of Precision Cutting and Nano-etching

if it is a relatively simple step to turn pieces of raw ore into pure silicon ingots, then the real part of testing the limits of human engineering technology has just begun. In order to ensure that the subsequent circuit patterns can be accurately formed at the micro scale, each wafer needs to go through an extremely complex processing process.

• the growth process in the single crystal furnace: using the chaikolaski method (Czochralski Process) to slowly solidify the molten silicon liquid to form a defect-free single continuous crystal;
• ultra-fine diamond cutting tool cutting operation: use special tools with diameter less than one tenth of hair filament to complete zero error section separation operation;
• Mirror polishing process: Create an absolutely flat ideal working interface through a high-speed rotating platform with submicron abrasives;
• The optical projection positioning system assists the engraving process: With the help of an ultraviolet light source, a very fine pattern is projected through the template for the reaction ion beam to perform the removal action according to the trajectory;
• Molecular deposition and layering to construct functional areas: Stacking films of different properties at atomic level in a specific area to give the entire chip complete electrical characteristics.

Highly specialized factory internal real picture recording real production difficulty coefficient

size dispute: who will dominate the ups and downs of 8-inch VS12-inch wafers?

As electronic products increasingly move towards high performance and low power consumption, the market demand for a larger area that can be used as wiring space continues to rise. At present, there are two main types of standardized products in circulation-two mainstream models with diameters of 200mm (approximately equal to the traditional "8 inches") and 300mm ("12 inches").

Future Technology Engine: How Wafer Innovation Promotes Smart Device Upgrades

Although traditional silicon-based materials still occupy the vast majority of the market share, in some extreme environments such as electric vehicle powertrain management systems or high-frequency communication base station front-end amplification devices, "wide-Bandgap" compound semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) have begun to emerge and gradually replace the original solution.

Compared with regular silicon materials, these new materials allow higher density current to pass without excessive heat accumulation problems; at the same time, they can withstand stronger voltage shock pressure, which significantly improves the stability of the overall system. It is foreseeable that in the next few years, various integrated components based on such emerging substrates will be widely used in many cutting-edge technology fields such as self-driving radar detection modules, green energy inverter conversion equipment and even space exploration payload computing centers.

Global Supply Chain: Panoramic Scan of the Strategic Layout of Head Manufacturers

Looking at the list of participants in the entire industry, it is not difficult to find that several powerful companies firmly control the core technology resources and development rhythm. Including Taiwan's Global Crystal Power (Total Solar), mainland China on behalf of China Resources Microelectronics (China Resources Microelectronics), South Korea Samsung's Foundry business unit, Japan's Shin-Vietnam Chemical Group's Silicon Division division and other heavyweight players have accelerated their pace to expand their global influence.

It is worth noting that in recent years, due to frequent changes in international trade policies and the outbreak of the epidemic led to serious disruptions in the logistics chain and other factors of the superimposed effect appeared, prompting governments to re-examine