Justificación del programa

Wafers are disks made, for example, of the purest monocrystal- line silicon, the basic material used in manufacturing microchips. The vast majority of silicon wafers (~42%) used around the world today have a diameter of 300 mm. The larger the wafer diameter, the more chips that can be made on one wafer. The more chips that can be manufactured on a wafer, the lower the production costs per individual chip.

ADVAnCeD pACKAGInG

This term describes modern technologies to “package” microchips in their housing. All microchip contacts must be guided individu- ally to the outside of the housing to ensure a connection to the printed circuit board. Advanced packaging involves packaging processes that generally employ methods previously used only in the Front-end manufacturing of microchips themselves, such as lithography and photo resist technologies.

BACK-enD

This term is used to describe the second (rear) link in the micro- chip production chain. The Back-end process begins once the wafer has passed through all Front-end process steps in the manuf acture of the microchip itself. In this process, microchips are tested on the wafer and, if required, prepared for bonding. The wafers are then sawed into individual microchips that are packaged in their housing. For cost reasons, Back-end process work is pri marily done in Asia, where semiconductor manufac- turers have Back-end facilities of their own or allow foundries to handle testing and packaging.

BonDInG

Attaching two or more components or wafers to each other by means of various chemical and physical effects. Adhesive bonding, for example, uses adhesives (usually epoxy resins or photoresists) to attach two components. Fusion or direct bonding directly links two wafers that are initially only connected by the weak atomic forces (van der Waals forces) of water molecules in the border- line layer. By subsequently applying heat, the water molecules are broken down, and the oxygen atoms released combine with the wafer’s silicon atoms to form the covalent bond silicon oxide. This is a very strong, non-soluble bonding of the two wafers.

BuMp

A metallic (solder, gold, or similar) three-dimensional contact on a chip. In simple terms, it is described as a ball of solder on a single microchip contact.

C4np

IBM paved the way for flip chip bonding in the late 1960s. This technology was used for the first time in 1973 in IBM System 3. Since then, billions of chips have made contact with the out- side world via this process under the name IBM C4. C4 stands for “controlled collapse chip connection” and is sometimes also used as a synonym for flip chip bonding. C4NP is the next gen- eration technology, which IBM developed in conjunction with SUSS  MicroTec on the basis of the proven C4 process. “NP” stands for “new process.”

CHIp

General term used for semiconductor components. In electronics, a chip or microchip is understood to mean an integrated circuit embedded in housing. From the outside, all one generally sees is the black housing and the connection point that links the chip and printed circuit board (by wire or flip chip bonding). The piece of silicon in the housing is frequently also referred to as the chip or microchip.

CluSter

A group of individual process modules (e.g., Coater, Aligner), which is fed wafers for processing by a central robot.

CoAter

A Coater is a special machine for the production of semiconduc- tors. It disperses photosensitive resist to the wafer by way of rota- tional power.

CoMpounD SeMIConDuCtor

Semiconductor composed of several elements, such as gallium arsenide, indium phosphide, silicon germanium, etc. Advantages over simple semiconductors include: speed, high temperature compatibility, and lower energy consumption.

CoSt oF oWnerSHIp

This assesses acquisition and operating costs as well as the costs of cleanroom space and wear and tear and maintenance of the machines. These costs are then calculated in relation to the proportion of functioning components at the end of the production process. The higher the output of perfect chips, the better the cost of ownership of the machines for the customers. An outstanding Cost of Ownership is of major significance, espe- cially in mass production.

DIe

Die, IC (integrated circuit), and chip are terms often used synonymously. Integrated circuits are known as dies until the point at which they are integrated into housing. Wafers are referred to as dies long as they are going through the individual process steps. The term “chips” is only used after the dies are isolated and packaged.

DrAM

DRAM = dynamic random access memory. Electronic memory chip components primarily used in computers. This is the world’s most widely used memory chip.

FAB

This is a manufacturing facility which specializes in the produc- tion of ICs on wafers (chips). Today, building a large, modern fab complete with the required cleanrooms and equipment costs approximately US$ 1.5 billion to US$ 4 billion.

FlIp CHIp BonDInG

An advanced bonding technique between chip and housing that makes higher clock frequencies possible in signal transmission. The active side of the chip is face down and therefore has to be “flipped” before assembly.

FounDrY

A chip factory where microchips are manufactured to a circuit design that is specified by the customer. Making goods to order in this way, the foundry operators have no chip design or prod- uct sales / marketing costs and can therefore focus their R & D resources entirely on the process technology. The globally lead- ing foundries are located in Taiwan and Singapore.

Front-enD

Front-end processes are the production steps carried out on the wafer as a whole. This is where the chip itself is made. Back-end processes in which chips are tested on the wafer follow. There, the wafer is cut into individual chips that are then inserted into housing.

IC

An integrated circuit (IC) consists of electronic components such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors that are integrated on a tiny microchip. Today, tens of millions of this type of cell are housed in circuits on a single chip. This high integration density has led to a high degree of chip performance.

suss microtec Annual Report 2014