BETA
Chapter 1
From beach sand to pure silicon
Chapter 2
Designing the microscopic city
Chapter 3
Printing with light in the cleanroom
Chapter 4
Slicing, packaging, and testing the final chip
YOUR GOAL
Master of How computer chips are made
Ch 1 · From beach sand to pure silicon
steve From Sand to Silicon
Melt the sand to grow a crystal bright, (growing so bright!) / Slice it thin to make the circuits glow! (yeah, that's right!)
steve A single crystal of silicon is grown from molten liquid using the Czochralski method.
steve Metallurgical silicon must be refined further until it reaches an astonishing purity level of 99.999999999%.
Fun Fact
Silicon purity: If a silicon wafer were the size of the United States, the maximum allowed impurity would be smaller than a single coin.
Glossary
silicon (noun)
A chemical element of atomic number 14, a metalloid widely used in making electronic circuits. Raw silica sand is chemically refined to achieve an ultra-high purity of 99.9999999 percent.
A chemical element of atomic number 14, a metalloid widely used in making electronic circuits. Raw silica sand is chemically refined to achieve an ultra-high purity of 99.9999999 percent.
Quiz
What is the standard diameter of the largest silicon wafers used in modern factories?