Integrated circuits fabrication is very much an intricate process that requires many different types of equipment. These can be categorized into three types: Wafer fabrication equipment, assembly, and test or back-end equipment. In this article, we shall discuss common tools in semiconductor manufacturing.
Lithography Machine
An essential machine tool for semiconductor manufacturing is the lithography machine. The major use of this machine will be to print circuit pattern photographs on the silicon wafer. Manufacturers create the circuit pattern using a mask, which serves as a template containing the desired pattern. They project light through the mask onto the silicon wafer and then etch the imprint into the wafer.
Dry Etchers
Dry Etchers used on a wafer are types of devices that cause the removal of a material from the surface of the device by bombarding the surface with high-energy ions that dislodge material from the surface. Engineers use plasma-based or laser-based etchers for these processes. A plasma etcher generates a plasma in a reactive gas and bombards it onto the wafer. Laser etching focuses a laser beam to vaporize or remove materials from the wafer’s surface. The semiconductor industry widely adopts both types of dry etchers today.
X-Ray mask alignment tool
Manufacturers originally used it to align photomasks in the semiconductor lithographic manufacturing process. A photomask acts as a template to transfer the circuit pattern onto a semiconductor wafer, requiring precise alignment with the wafer’s surface. The x-ray mask alignment tool uses high-energy x-rays to expose the circuit pattern contained within the photomask onto the wafer surface.
Dicing machines
The dicing machine is one of the very various machine tools in the semiconductor industry. Dicing machines are used to slice from semiconductor wafers smaller bits. It uses a rotating blade that makes clear, precise cuts. Dicing machines are quite important because they allow the making of very small semiconductors.
Deposition tools
Another major tool in semiconductor production is the deposition tool. So, this deposits fine layers of thin films onto silicon wafers. Manufacturers define thin films as layers of material deposited on a substrate using various methods, such as chemical vapor deposition or sputtering. Deposition tools create different kinds of thin films such as conducting films, dielectric films, and photoresist films.
Linear guide
The other machine tool used in the semiconductor industry is a linear guide. These are used to transport semiconductor wafers within the manufacturing units. Linear guides offer very smooth precision movement which minimizes fragility in the wafer. Linear guides are needed to manufacture semiconductors. This tool has always helped in proper and systematic movement of semiconductor goods. In industry it has become very common.
Initially, the semiconductor industry used primitive manual lathes and milling machines to make semiconductor chips from silicon. The advent of digital technology brought computer-controlled tools into existence, enabling the creation of chips with widths measured in nanometers. Today, manufacturers rely on numerous metrology equipment and machine tools for various purposes during semiconductor fabrication. These tools in semiconductor manufacturing have become really important to understand to work in industrial area.
