Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to create the integrated circuits (silicon chips) that are present in everyday electrical and electronic devices. It is a multiple-step sequence of photographic and chemical processing steps during which electronic circuits are gradually created on a wafer made of pure semiconducting material. Silicon is the most commonly used semiconductor material today, along with various compound semiconductors.

The entire manufacturing process, from start to packaged chips ready for shipment, takes six to eight weeks and is performed in highly specialized facilities referred to as fabs.

Semiconductor manufacturing processes

10 Ã‚µm — 1971 3 Ã‚µm — 1975 1.5 Ã‚µm — 1982 1 Ã‚µm — 1985 800 nm (0.80 Ã‚µm) — 1989 600 nm (0.60 Ã‚µm) — 1994 350 nm (0.35 Ã‚µm) — 1995 250 nm (0.25 Ã‚µm) — 1998 180 nm (0.18 Ã‚µm) — 1999 130 nm (0.13 Ã‚µm) — 2000 90 nm — 2002 65 nm — 2006 45 nm — 2008 32 nm — 2010 22 nm — approx. 2011 16 nm — approx. 2013 11 nm — approx. 2015

NASA’s Glenn Research Center cleanroom.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : Manufacture of other fabricated metal products