Glossary of microelectronics manufacturing terms
This is a list of terms used in the manufacture of electronic micro-components. Many of the terms are already defined and explained in Wikipedia; this glossary is for looking up, comparing, and reviewing the terms. You can help enhance this page by adding new terms or clarifying definitions of existing ones.
2.5D integration – an advanced integrated circuit packaging technology that bonds dies and/or chiplets onto an interposer for enclosure within a single package
3D integration – an advanced semiconductor technology that incorporates multiple layers of circuitry into a single chip, integrated both vertically and horizontally
3D-IC (also 3DIC or 3D IC) – Three-dimensional integrated circuit; an integrated circuit built with 3D integration
advanced packaging – the aggregation and interconnection of components before traditional packaging
ALD – see atomic layer deposition
atomic layer deposition (ALD) – chemical vapor deposition process by which very thin films of a controlled composition are grown
back end of line (BEoL) – wafer processing steps from the creation of metal interconnect layers through the final etching step that creates pad openings (see also front end of line, far back end of line, post-fab)
BEoL – see back end of line
bonding – any of several technologies that attach one electronic circuit or component to another; see wire bonding, thermocompression bonding, flip chip, hybrid bonding, etc.
breadboard – a construction base for prototyping of electronics
bumping – the formation of microbumps on the surface of an electronic circuit in preparation for flip chip assembly
carrier wafer – a wafer that is attached to dies, chiplets, or another wafer during intermediate steps, but is not a part of the finished device
chip – an integrated circuit; may refer to either a bare die or a packaged device
chip carrier – a package built to contain an integrated circuit
chiplet – a small die designed to be integrated with other components within a single package
chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) – smoothing a surface with the combination of chemical and mechanical forces, using an abrasive/corrosive chemical slurry and a polishing pad
circuit board – see printed circuit board
class 10, class 100, etc. – a measure of the air quality in a cleanroom; class 10 means fewer than 10 airborne particles of size 0.5 μm or larger are permitted per cubic foot of air
cleanroom (clean room) – a specialized manufacturing environment that maintains extremely low levels of particulates
CMP – see chemical-mechanical polishing
copper pillar – a type of microbump with embedded thin-film thermoelectric material
deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) – process that creates deep, steep-sided holes and trenches in a wafer or other substrate, typically with high aspect ratios
dicing – cutting a processed semiconductor wafer into separate dies
die – an unpackaged integrated circuit; a rectangular piece cut (diced) from a processed wafer
die-to-die (also die-on-die) stacking – bonding and integrating individual bare dies atop one another
die-to-wafer (also die-on-wafer) stacking – bonding and integrating dies onto a wafer before dicing the wafer
doping – intentional introduction of impurities into a semiconductor material for the purpose of modulating its properties
DRIE – see deep reactive-ion etching
e-beam – see electron-beam processing
EDA – see electronic design automation
electron-beam processing (e-beam) – irradiation with high energy electrons for lithography, inspection, etc.
electronic design automation (EDA) – software tools for designing electronic systems
etching (etch, etch processing) – chemically removing layers from the surface of a wafer during semiconductor device fabrication
fab – a semiconductor fabrication plant
fan-out wafer-level packaging – an extension of wafer-level packaging in which the wafer is diced, dies are positioned on a carrier wafer and molded, and then a redistribution layer is added
far back end of line (FBEoL) – after normal back end of line, additional in-fab processes to create RDL, copper pillars, microbumps, and other packaging-related structures (see also front end of line, back end of line, post-fab)
FBEoL – see far back end of line
FEoL – see front end of line
flip chip – interconnecting electronic components by means of microbumps that have been deposited onto the contact pads
front end of line (FEoL) – initial wafer processing steps up to (but not including) metal interconnect (see also back end of line, far back end of line, post-fab)
heterogeneous integration – combining different types of integrated circuitry into a single device; differences may be in fabrication process, technology node, substrate, or function
HIC - see hybrid integrated circuit
hybrid bonding – a permanent bond that combines a dielectric bond with embedded metal to form interconnections
hybrid integrated circuit (HIC) – a miniaturized circuit constructed of both semiconductor devices and passive components bonded to a substrate
IC – see integrated circuit
integrated circuit (IC) – a miniature electronic circuit formed by microfabrication on semiconducting material, performing the same function as a larger circuit made from discrete components
interconnect (n.) – wires or signal traces that carry electrical signals between the elements in an electronic device
interposer – a small piece of semiconductor material (glass, silicon, or organic) built to host and interconnect two or more dies and/or chiplets in a single package
lead – a metal structure connecting the circuitry inside a package with components outside the package
lead frame (or leadframe) – a metal structure inside a package that connects the chip to its leads
mask – see photomask
MCM – see multi-chip module
microbump – a very small solder ball that provides contact between two stacked physical layers of electronics
microelectronics – the study and manufacture (or microfabrication) of very small electronic designs and components
microfabrication – the process of fabricating miniature structures of sub-micron scale
Moore’s Law – an observation by Gordon Moore that the transistor count per square inch on ICs doubled every year, and the prediction that it will continue to do so
more than Moore – a catch-all phrase for technologies that attempt to bypass Moore’s Law, creating smaller, faster, or more powerful ICs without shrinking the size of the transistor
multi-chip module (MCM) – an electronic assembly integrating multiple ICs, dies, chiplets, etc. onto a unifying substrate so that they can be treated as one IC
nanofabrication – design and manufacture of devices with dimensions measured in nanometers
node – see technology node
optical mask – see photomask
package – a chip carrier; a protective structure that holds an integrated circuit and provides connections to other components
packaging – the final step in device fabrication, when the device is encapsulated in a protective package.
pad (contact pad or bond pad) – designated surface area on a printed circuit board or die where an electrical connection is to be made
pad opening – a hole in the final passivation layer that exposes a pad
parasitics (parasitic structures, parasitic elements) – unwanted intrinsic electrical elements that are created by proximity to actual circuit elements
passivation layer – an oxide layer that isolates the underlying surface from electrical and chemical conditions
PCB – see printed circuit board
photolithography – a manufacturing process that uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a photoresist on the substrate
photomask (optical mask) – an opaque plate with holes or transparencies that allow light to shine through in a defined pattern
photoresist – a light-sensitive material used in processes such as photolithography to form a patterned coating on a surface
pitch – the distance between the centers of repeated elements
planarization – a process that makes a surface planar (flat)
polishing – see chemical-mechanical polishing
post-fab – processes that occur after cleanroom fabrication is complete; performed outside of the cleanroom environment, often by another company
printed circuit board (PCB) – a board that supports electrical or electronic components and connects them with etched traces and pads
quilt packaging – a technology that makes electrically and mechanically robust chip-to-chip interconnections by using horizontal structures at the chip edges
redistribution layer (RDL) – an extra metal layer that makes the pads of an IC available in other locations of the chip
reticle – a partial plate with holes or transparencies used in photolithography integrated circuit fabrication
RDL – see redistribution layer
semiconductor – a material with an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor and an insulator; its resistivity falls as its temperature rises
silicon – the semiconductor material used most frequently as a substrate in electronics
silicon on insulator (SoI) – a layered silicon–insulator–silicon substrate
SiP – see system in package
SoC – see system on chip
SoI – see silicon on insulator
split-fab (split fabrication, split manufacturing) – performing FEoL wafer processing at one fab and BEoL at another
sputtering (sputter deposition) – a thin film deposition method that erodes material from a target (source) onto a substrate
stepper – a step-and-scan system used in photolithography
substrate – the semiconductor material underlying the circuitry of an IC, usually silicon
system in package (SiP) – a number of integrated circuits (chips or chiplets) enclosed in a single package that functions as a complete system
system on chip (SoC) – a single IC that integrates all or most components of a computer or other electronic system
technology node – an industry standard semiconductor manufacturing process generation defined by the minimum size of the transistor gate length
thermocompression bonding – a bonding technique where two metal surfaces are brought into contact with simultaneous application of force and heat
thin-film deposition – a technique for depositing a thin film of material onto a substrate or onto previously deposited layers; in IC manufacturing, the layers are insulators, semiconductors, and conductors
through-silicon via (TSV) – a vertical electrical connection that pierces the (usually silicon) substrate
trace (signal trace) – the microelectronic equivalent of a wire; a tiny strip of conductor (copper, aluminum, etc.) that carries power, ground, or signal horizontally across a circuit
TSV – see through-silicon via
via – a vertical electrical connection between layers in a circuit
wafer – a disk of semiconductor material (usually silicon) on which electronic circuitry can be fabricated
wafer-level packaging (WLP) – packaging ICs before they are diced, while they are still part of the wafer
wafer-to-wafer (also wafer-on-wafer) stacking – bonding and integrating whole processed wafers atop one another before dicing the stack into dies
wire bonding – using tiny wires to interconnect an IC or other semiconductor device with its package (see also thermocompression bonding, flip chip, hybrid bonding, etc.)
WLP – see wafer-level packaging