"Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to create the MOSFET (metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistor) semiconductor devices used in the integrated circuits (ICs) that are present in ...
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everyday electrical and electronic devices. It is a multiple-step sequence of photolithographic and chemical processing steps (such as surface passivation and thermal oxidation) during which electronic circuits are gradually created on a wafer made of pure semiconducting material. Silicon is almost always used, but various compound semiconductors are used for specialized applications.
The entire manufacturing process, from start to packaged chips ready for shipment, takes six to eight weeks and is performed in highly specialized facilities referred to as foundries or fabs. In more advanced semiconductor devices, such as modern 14/10/7 nm nodes, fabrication can take up to 15 weeks (about 4 months) with 11–13 weeks (3 to 4 months) being the industry average. Production in advanced fabrication facilities is completely automated, and carried out in a hermetically sealed, nitrogen environment to improve yield (number of working microchips vs the number of microchips made in a wafer) with FOUPs and automated material handling systems taking care of the transport of wafers from machine to machine." - (en.wikipedia.org 16.09.2019)
