In the context of integrated circuits, a die is a small block of semiconducting material on which a given functional circuit is fabricated. Typically, integrated circuits are produced in large batches on a single wafer of electronic-grade silicon (EGS) or other semiconductor (such as Gallium arsenide) through processes such as photolithography. The wafer is cut (wafer dicing) into many pieces, each containing one copy of the circuit. Each of these pieces is called a die.
There are three commonly used plural forms: dice, dies, and die.
Manufacturing process
Most dies are composed of silicon and used for integrated circuits. The process begins with the production of
Single crystal silicon
. These ingots are then sliced into disks with a diameter of up to 300 mm.
[ From Sand to Silicon “Making of a Chip” | Intel. (YouTube video, streamed on Nov 6, 2009) ][
From Sand to Silicon “Making of a Chip” Illustrations. (n.d.) ]
These wafers are then polished to a mirror finish before going through
photolithography. In many steps the transistors are manufactured and connected with metal interconnect layers. These prepared wafers then go through
wafer testing to test their functionality. The wafers are then sliced and sorted to filter out the faulty dies. Functional dies are then packaged and the completed integrated circuit is ready to be shipped.
Uses
A die can host many types of circuits. One common use case of an integrated circuit die is in the form of a central processing unit (CPU). Through advances in modern technology, the size of the
transistor within the die has shrunk exponentially, following Moore's law. Other uses for dies can range from
LED lighting to power semiconductor devices.
Images
Images of dies are commonly called
.
light-emitting diode, showing the three individual dies]]
attached]]
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See also
External links
