Silicon Wafers

[gal128]

Why are they round?

HULK SMASH!!!

 

[FatBurger]

So that they can glue two together and make a giant yo-yo. Every seen a square yo-yo? Didn't think so.

<font color=blue>Hi mom!</font color=blue>

 

[bront]

Better for dipping in salsa with

I'd guess it's because round gives you the most surface area with the least ammount of space (Maximized area for it's dimentions)

"Meesa thinks that yousa gonna die" - Darth Darth Binks

 

[bront]

So that they can glue two together and make a giant yo-yo. Every seen a square yo-yo? Didn't think so.

I have! I have!

It can be said that smoking is one of the leading cause of statistics.

 

[gal128]

WTF!!!

I am asking a serious question and I get no love.

Bront your answer makes no since because if that were the case they would make them on the magnitude of the final dimensions and then you would have no waste at all.

If you don't know say you don't know, there is no shame in not knowing.

HULK SMASH!!!

 

[Kemche]

There can be tons of reason. I think one of the reason would be that round shape will be efficient when it's spinning during mfgr process. (Just a guess).

I am not good in Geometry.

KG

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity." - Sarah Chambers

 

[bront]

They have to waste some space anyway as they can't nessessarily use EVERY scrap of silicon. I said I wasn't sure, I was simply making my guess.

It can be said that smoking is one of the leading cause of statistics.

 

[gal128]

So your saying that is the efficiency of the machines involved. That's interesting. Thank you kemche!

That wasn't hard was it. Being polite won't kill you Fatburger. I am not trying to be rude or silly, this is just something I really want to know.

HULK SMASH!!!

 

[FatBurger]

The only reason I posted is because I'm also interested, and whenever someone posts in a thread, it magically moves to the top. Would you prefer I just say "Bump", or make my posts more interesting?

<font color=blue>Hi mom!</font color=blue>

 

[gal128]

Sure, I just need to make it till I can actually touch my copy of NWN! Not having it with it being out is making cranky.

HULK SMASH!!!

 

[ath0mps0]

They are round because of how the silicon cylinders are "grown" (for lack of a better term). They look like a great, big, shiny POS. These silicon cylinders are then normalized (on something like a lathe), sliced into wafers, have copper or aluminum deposited on them in a thin layer and are then "etched" into the appropriate chips.

If the thought I thought I thought had been the thought I thought, I wouldn't have thought so much.

 

[FatBurger]

I'm not into D&D, but I've been loving Morrowind. Have you played that?

<font color=blue>Hi mom!</font color=blue>

 

[siliconjon]

Love the TAG! HULK WILL SMASH fer sure. As for why are the wafers round? First, they make a silicon log, from which they slice the wafers. Here's a website with some good info on the whole process:
http://www.memc.com/

More specifically, the pdf files. Very informative.


I'm not really human, I just play one on TV

 

[Matisaro]

He beat me to it.


A silicon wafer is a single crystal, it can only grow round.

The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark

 

[SammyBoy]

I've got a nice 6" wafer, though it isn't completely round... one... end? (what the hell do you call it on a circle) is flat. It's also already been etched, and each of the dies look to be 50mm. Can't say I know what the hell it is. I got it in my Sr. year of HS... so 2000, from VTC, Inc. It's some MN company that a classmate's dad worked at, and we got to go on a field trip, though I was elsewhere at the time, and unable to go. As to why it's round? Look at the link someone provided. I just wanted to brag about my 6 incher.... I hope that doesn't sound wrong.

-SammyBoy

 

[SammyBoy]

Well hell, looks like the company was bought by Lucent Technologies. The chips were for HDDs, and they were a leading supplier... go MN! After selling to Lucent, they became a foundry. Intersting... there are silicon foundries outside of Taiwan. Apparently, though, they are only down to .35 micron, and use both CMOS and BiCMOS(???). Learn something new every day.

 

[MeldarthX]

wwwwwwwwwooooooooo.........you too? I've decided that I'm going to live on booster drinks, like AMP and Redbull, and some for of meat after I get NWN.........sleep is for the weak....muahaha


well, I think my work will get in my way of NWN too, but damn it I still haven't found that blasted money tree. It keeps moving on me........


MeldarthX

 

[gal128]

Haven't gotten into to Morrowind ... yet. NWN will consume my entire weekend. Well that and Windows 2000 advanced server. Must build a new root server even though I dread doing it. I will examine those links and the processes that they explain. I just always thought it would be possible to create a rectangular log to minimize the waste of silicon.

HULK SMASH!!!

 

[dionicio]

the cristalitation takes place on a rotatory oven.
the bar is pulled up spining from liquid Si.

 

[Matisaro]

I've got a nice 6" wafer, though it isn't completely round... one... end? (what the hell do you call it on a circle) is flat.

Thats called the flat of the wafer, in modern wafers its a notch, it is so you know the orientation of the crystal lattice in the silicon.

The Cash Left In My Pocket,The BEST Benchmark

 

[lhgpoobaa]

6" of hard wafer ready for action baby!
lol

<font color=blue>All religions are true, for a given value of 'true' - Terry Pratchett.</font color=blue>

 

[slvr_phoenix]

I just wanted to brag about my 6 incher.... I hope that doesn't sound wrong.

You're just trying to perpetuate <i>wafer envy</i>, aren't you?


Tech support said take a screen shot.
Putting it down with my .22 was the humane thing to do.