In the semiconductor industry, the term wafer appeared in the 1950s to describe a thin round slice of semiconductor … See more

Wafers are formed of highly pure, nearly defect-free single crystalline material, with a purity of 99.9999999% (9N) or higher. One process for forming crystalline wafers is known as the Czochralski method, invented by Polish c… See more

Silicon wafers are available in a variety of diameters from 25.4 mm (1 inch) to 300 mm (11.8 inches). Semiconductor fabrication plants, colloquially known as fabs, are defined by the diameter of wafers that they are tooled t… See more

There is considerable resistance to the 450 mm transition despite the possible productivity improvement, because of concern about insufficient return on investment. There are also issues related to increased i… See more

In order to minimize the cost per die, manufacturers wish to maximize the number of dies that can be made from a single wafer; dies always have a square or rectangular shape due to the constraint of wafer dicing. … See more

While silicon is the prevalent material for wafers used in the electronics industry, other compound III-V or II-VI materials have also been employed. Gallium arsenide (GaAs), a III-V semiconductor produced via the Czochr… See more