As an important supplier of core components in the semiconductor industry and integrated circuit manufacturing equipment, Cronos motion control solutions have achieved a huge leap forward in the tiny world for more than a decade. With semiconductor nano positioning platform, nano-scale wafer detection, wafer cutting platform, and self-developed ± 50nm air flotation platform and other semiconductor equipment, through innovative technology and perfect service, we provide integrated solutions that continue to create new highs in the industry.
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Among them± 50nm air flotation platform is mainly used in the field of wafer manufacturing, and the ultra-high precision motion control technology is used to accurately detect the wafer production process to ensure the pass rate of the finished product.
The chip is not naturally grown, its birth is a complex and long journey. Manufacturing chips requires a continuous accumulation of patterns on wafers, which are connected vertically to more than 100 layers.
The fabrication of the chip involves hundreds of steps, and it can take up to four months from design to mass production. In the clean room of the fab, precious wafers are continuously transported through mechanical equipment, and the air quality and temperature are strictly controlled throughout the process
How are chips made?
The key process of chip manufacturing: 10 steps
Step1 deposition
The first step in manufacturing a chip is usually to deposit a thin film of material onto the wafer. The material can be a conductor, insulator or semiconductor.
Step2 photoresist coating
Before lithography, the wafer is first coated with a photosensitive material "photoresist" or "photoresist", and then the wafer is placed into the lithography machine.
Step3 Exposure
Make a blueprint on the mask plate that needs to be printed. After the wafer is placed into the lithograph, the beam is projected onto the wafer through the mask plate. The optics inside the lithography machine shrink the pattern and focus on the photoresist coating. Under the illumination of the beam, the photoresist undergoes a chemical reaction, and the pattern on the reticle is thus engraved into the photoresist coating.
Step4 Calculate lithography
The physical and chemical effects produced during lithography may cause the pattern to deform, so the pattern on the mask plate needs to be adjusted in advance to ensure the accuracy of the final lithography pattern. For example, ASML integrates existing lithography data and wafer test data to create algorithmic models and precisely adjust patterns.
Step5 Baking and developing
After the wafer leaves the lithography machine, it is baked and developed so that the lithography pattern is permanently fixed. Wash off excess photoresist and leave some of the coating blank.
Step6 etching
After the development is completed, the excess blank part is removed using materials such as gas to form a 3D circuit pattern.
Step7 Metrology and inspection
During chip production, wafers are always metered and inspected to ensure that there are no errors. The test results are fed back to the lithography system for further optimization and adjustment of the equipment. This part requires the use of the key equipment of the nano-scale ultra-precision motion platform.
Step8 Ion implantation
Before removing the remaining photoresist, the wafer can be bombarded with positive or negative ions to adjust the semiconductor characteristics of some patterns.
Step9 Duplicate the step as needed
From film deposition to photoresist removal, the entire process covers the wafer with a layer of pattern. To form an integrated circuit on the wafer and complete the chip production, this process needs to be repeated continuously, up to 100 times.
Step10 package chip
The final step is to use an ultra-precision motion platform to perform wafer cutting and obtain a single chip, which is encapsulated in a protective case. In this way, the finished chip can be used to produce TVs, tablets or other digital devices!
The process of chip manufacturing is like building a house with Lego, first with wafers as the foundation, and then layered on top of each other. Chip manufacturing is the country's heavy weapon, Kronos ± 50-nanometer air flotation platform to make domestic semiconductor manufacturing like a tiger!