ARTi

How computer chips are made

Chapter 1

From beach sand to pure silicon

View / Create

Answer

Chapter 2

Designing the microscopic city

View / Create

Answer

Chapter 3

Printing with light in the cleanroom

View / Create

Answer

Chapter 4

Slicing, packaging, and testing the final chip

View / Create

Answer

YOUR GOAL

Master of How computer chips are made

Ch 1 · From beach sand to pure silicon
steve
steve
Silicon Sandbox

steve Silicon Sandbox

3h ago

steve
steve

steve Growing the perfect single crystal ingot

3h ago

steve
steve

steve Achieving the ultimate chemical purity

3h ago

steve
steve

steve The journey from common sand to quartz

3h ago

steve
steve

steve Slicing the ingot into razor thin wafers

3h ago

steve
steve

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!)

3h ago

steve
steve
Growing the perfect single crystal ingot

steve Growing the perfect single crystal ingot

3h ago

steve
steve
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.

3h ago

steve
steve
Achieving the ultimate chemical purity

steve Achieving the ultimate chemical purity

3h ago

steve
steve
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.

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

Why must silicon wafers be polished to extreme flatness?

3h ago

steve
steve
Gossip

Which part of chip raw materials sounds coolest?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

What is the standard diameter of the largest silicon wafers used in modern factories?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

Who invented the method used to grow single-crystal silicon ingots?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

What is the primary raw material used to make the silicon in computer chips?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

At what temperature is silicon melted to grow a crystal ingot?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

What tool is used to slice a solid silicon ingot into individual wafers?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

What extreme purity level is required for semiconductor-grade silicon?

3h ago

steve
steve
Quiz

What is the name of the cylindrical solid crystal block of silicon before it is sliced?

3h ago