Integrated circuits terminology
Some of the common terms (IC terminology) are defined below:
- Bonding – attachment of wires to an IC.
- Chip – an extremely small part of a silicon on wafer on which IC is fabricated. One Si wafer of 2 cm diameter may contain upto 1000 IC chips
- Circuit probing – to check the proper electrical performance of each IC with the help of probes.
- Die – Same as Chip
- Diffusion – introduction of controlled small quantities of a material into the crystal structure for modifying its electrical characteristics.
- Diffusion mask – it is a glass plate with the circuit pattern drawn on it . Impurities can diffuse through its light areas but not through its dark ones.
- Encapsulation – putting a cap over the IC and sealing it in an inert atmosphere.
- Epitaxy – physical placement of materials on a given surface.
- Etching – removal of surface material from a chip by chemical means.
- Metallization – providing ohmic contacts and inter-connections by evaporating aluminium over the chip.
- Photoresist – a photo-sensitive emulsion which hardens when exposed to ultraviolet light.
- Scribing – incising or cutting with a sharp point.
- Wafer–a thin slice of a semiconductor material either circular or rectangular in shape in which a number of ICs are fabricated simultaneously.