How We Do It

With each new generation of semiconductor devices, the critical dimension of electronic structures shrink, requiring new manufacturing systems and new capabilities, such as the ability to apply thin-films atom-by-atom. The solution lies in nanomanufacturing technology, the combination of an innovative use of materials with the practical concept of high-volume precision manufacturing. This production is a high-level review of nanotechnology emphasizing Applied Materials' global leadership in providing nanomanufacturing technology solutions for the electronics industry.

Every 60 minutes, the Earth receives enough sunshine to power the world's electricity requirements for a year. Consumers, scientists and energy conservationists are looking for ways to harness this energy and spur growth in alternative energy sources such as bio-fuels, wind and solar power. This production is an overview of the processes and technologies required to produce solar electric power.

Microchips are the core of modern electronics used everyday. To manufacture these microchips thin-films are deposited, etched and measured - transforming the electrical properties of these complex devices. This production covers the history, technology and basic production processes for manufacturing a microchip.

The following organizations have contributed to this presentation:
IBM Corp., Intel Corporation, MEMC Electronics, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA),
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Silicon Run Productions

At the heart of every microchip, flat panel display and throughout consumer electronics - such as mp3 players, cell phones and digital cameras - there are small devices called transistors. This production gives a short history and outlines the basic production processes for manufacturing a transistor

A small particle of dust can destroy a microchip while it is being produced, so special factories and precautions are required to manufacture today's complex microchips. This production covers the topics of cleanrooms and the importance of cleanliness in a microchip fabrication plant.

From cellphones to today's modern high-definition televisions, flat panel displays are becoming more commonplace in the high-tech landscape. This production provides an overview of the technology and basic production processes for manufacturing a flat panel display.

The following organizations have contributed to this presentation:
Apple Computers, Inc., Garmin International Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Nintendo of America, LG Electronics, Motorola, Nokia, Panasonic, RCA, Rutgers University (The Edison Papers), Sony Corporation

Atomic Layer Deposition: Making a Chip One Atom at a Time
Some of the critical film layers in a 22nm transistor are only a few atoms thick. To make these infinitesimal structures, a technique called atomic layer deposition (ALD) is becoming increasingly common. The ALD process builds up material through chemical reactions on the surface of the chip, one monolayer at a time, to produce the thinnest, most uniform films possible.

David Thompson
“How Atomic Layer Deposition works”
 

Just as semiconductor technology enabled computers to shrink from room-sized to palm-sized, Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) replace traditional mechanical and electronic devices such as actuators, transducers and gears with micrometer-scale equivalents that can transform whole industries.

MEMS devices are all around us today – from accelerometers and gyroscopes that enable today’s sophisticated mobile interfaces to automobile navigation and airbag sensors, and medical and communications devices.

The micrometer-scale moving parts of MEMS devices are fabricated using techniques derived from semiconductor IC processing such as plasma etch, thin film deposition and photolithography.

Applied Materials has the industry’s most comprehensive range of production-proven systems for MEMS device manufacturing, offering customers cost-effective processes for the most critical MEMS device fabrication applications.

Applied’s deep understanding of the challenges of MEMS device design and fabrication gives customers a competitive edge by allowing them to source proven MEMS toolsets from a world class vendor, backed up by an unmatched service and support infrastructure. In addition, Applied is working with research partners around the world to develop new materials and new processes to advance the state of the art in MEMS technology and high-volume MEMS manufacturing.

For more information on Applied Materials’ MEMS solutions, please email: mems@amat.com.

Steven Hung, Ph.D. who specializes in integrating ALD into the transistor manufacturing process, dives deep into the chip to show what tomorrow’s transistors look like, how they work, and how Applied can help the industry meet the challenges of fabricating these ultra-tiny structures to make faster, more power-efficient microchips.

The network of contact lines on crystalline silicon solar cells are made using a specialized, high-precision screen printing process. The printing process is followed by electrical inspection, optical testing and sorting of the finished cells, all in the same integrated manufacturing line.

This beautiful video follows solar wafers as they pass through an Applied Baccini Pegaso system. The wafers are transformed into finished solar cells, ready to be packaged into panels and installed on roofs, parking lots and solar farms around the world.

The semiconducting channel at the heart of each transistor is created, or activated, by quickly heating up the wafer to a set high temperature and cooling it down again, selectively turning the top few atomic layers from an insulator to a semiconductor

This critical process is called rapid thermal processing, or RTP. In the video below, Applied Materials' Shankar Muthukrishnan discusses the role of RTP in manufacturing microchips and the progression of the technology from the simple furnaces of the 1970s all the way to the state of the art - the Applied Vantage Vulcan RTP system.

Ion Implantation 101 -  Part 1
Ion implantation is one of the fundamental processes used to make microchips. Raw silicon is neither a perfect insulator nor a perfect conductor. It’s somewhere in the middle. Inserting a smattering of boron or phosphorus atoms into the silicon crystal lattice allows us to control the flow of electricity through the silicon and make transistors – the building block from which we make chips.

In this two-part video features Jim Kawski from Applied’s Varian Semiconductor Equipment business unit, discussing why we need ion implantation, what the process looks like at the atomic level and how an actual implanter works. In the second part, Jim goes on to explore how implant is used to make actual semiconductor devices.

Ion Implantation 101 - Part 2
This is the second part of our introduction to ion implantation. Part one discussed why we need ion implantation and how an implanter works. In this second part, Jim Kawski from Applied’s Varian Semiconductor Equipment business group explores how implant is used to make actual semiconductor devices.