Electronics by Britannica Educational Publishing

Author:Britannica Educational Publishing
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Britannica Educational Publishing
Published: 2012-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

An integrated circuit, or microchip, is made in a sequence of operations. (One type, called an n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor transistor, requires about a dozen steps.) First, a clean p-type silicon wafer is oxidized to produce a thin layer of silicon dioxide and is coated with a radiation-sensitive film called a resist (a). The wafer is masked by lithography to expose it selectively to ultraviolet light, which causes the resist to become soluble (b). Light-exposed areas are dissolved, exposing parts of the silicon dioxide layer, which are removed by an etching process (c). The remaining resist material is removed in a liquid bath. The areas of silicon exposed by the etching process are changed from p-type (pink) to n-type (yellow) by exposure to either arsenic or phosphorus vapor at high temperatures (d). Areas covered by silicon dioxide remain p-type. The silicon dioxide is removed (e), and the wafer is oxidized again (f). An opening is etched down to the p-type silicon using a reverse mask with the lithography/etching process (g). Another oxidation cycle forms a thin layer of silicon dioxide on the p-type region of the wafer (h). Windows are etched in the n-type silicon areas in preparation for metal deposits (i). Copyright Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.; rendering for this edition by Rosen Educational Services

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