{"id":116881,"date":"2017-04-16T10:00:25","date_gmt":"2017-04-16T08:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/?p=116881"},"modified":"2017-04-15T20:26:21","modified_gmt":"2017-04-15T18:26:21","slug":"how-a-computer-chip-is-built","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mygaming.co.za\/news\/hardware\/116881-how-a-computer-chip-is-built","title":{"rendered":"How a computer chip is built"},"content":{"rendered":"

Computer\u00a0chips, like desktop CPUs, are made from something rather technically unimpressive: sand.<\/p>\n

Both Intel\u2019s Kaby Lake and AMD\u2019s Ryzen chips are manufactured on a 14nm process node, which refers to the size of the chip\u2019s transistors.<\/p>\n

The smaller the manufacturing process, the more transistors can fit on a single die.<\/p>\n

Microprocessors are one of the most complex products in the world, and\u00a0creating these chips is a difficult and precise process.<\/p>\n

The steps we have outlined below are the most basic stages in the fabrication process, and many steps are\u00a0repeated, altered, or omitted \u2013 depending on chip design.<\/p>\n

Below is an overview of how\u00a0an Intel desktop processor is made, using\u00a0images from Intel\u2019s 22nm fabrication outline<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Start with sand<\/h3>\n

The process of creating a computer chip begins with a type of sand called silica sand, which is comprised of silicon dioxide.<\/p>\n

Silicon is the base material for semiconductor manufacturing and must be pure before it can be used in the manufacturing process.<\/p>\n

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Silicon ingot<\/h3>\n

Multiple purification and filtering processes are performed in order to deliver electronic-grade silicon, which has a purity of 99.9999%.<\/p>\n

A purified silicon ingot, which weighs around 100kg, is shaped from melted silica and made ready for the next step.<\/p>\n

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Cut wafers<\/h3>\n

The circular silicon ingot is sliced into wafers as thin as possible while maintaining the material\u2019s ability to be used in the fabrication process.<\/p>\n

The silicon wafers are then refined and polished in order to provide the best possible surface for the following fabrication steps.<\/p>\n

\"Silicon<\/a><\/p>\n

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Photolithography<\/h3>\n

After being polished and readied for the process, a layer of photoresist is spread thinly across the wafer.<\/p>\n

This layer is then exposed to a UV light mask, which is shaped in the pattern of the microprocessor\u2019s circuits.<\/p>\n

Exposed photoresist becomes soluble and is washed off by a solvent.<\/p>\n

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Ions and Doping<\/h3>\n

Exposed photoresist is washed off and the silicon wafer is bombarded with ions in order to alter its conductive properties \u2013 this is called doping.<\/p>\n

The remaining photoresist is then washed off, revealing a pattern of affected and unaffected material.<\/p>\n

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Etching<\/h3>\n

A pattern of hard material is applied to the wafer using another photolithography step.<\/p>\n

Chemicals are then used to remove unwanted silicon, leaving behind thin silicon ridges.<\/p>\n

After this, more photolithography steps are applied \u2013 which create more of the transistor structure, depending on which gate formation is being used.<\/p>\n

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Electroplating<\/h3>\n

An insulation layer is applied to the surface of the almost-complete transistor and three holes are etched into it.<\/p>\n

Next, manufacturers use a process called electroplating to deposit copper ions on the surface of the transistor, forming a layer of copper on top of the insulation.<\/p>\n

The excess copper is polished off, leaving only three copper deposits in the insulation layer holes.<\/p>\n

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Layering Interconnects<\/h3>\n

All the transistors are now connected in an architecture which allows the chip to function like a processor.<\/p>\n

The layering and design of these interconnects is incredibly complex, and there can be over 30 layers of metal connections in a single processor.<\/p>\n

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Test and Slice Die<\/h3>\n

The chips on the wafer are now ready to be tested.<\/p>\n

The wafer is sliced into dies, and functional dies move on to the final step in the fabrication process.<\/p>\n

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Packaging<\/h3>\n

Dies are packaged with a substrate and heat spreader, and assume the familiar form factor of a desktop processor.<\/p>\n

The heat spreader conducts heat away from the silicon and into the heatsink mounted on top of it.<\/p>\n

Processors are then tested for power efficiency, maximum frequency, and other performance metrics.<\/p>\n

Those that pass are then packaged as a retail product.<\/p>\n

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Video Overview<\/h3>\n