Semiconductor Market: Understanding the Building Blocks of Modern Technology

Semiconductors are vital to modern technology and everyday life. As the fundamental building blocks for electronic devices, they power a range of industries and applications, from consumer electronics and automobiles to healthcare and renewable energy. Without them, the billions of devices across the globe won’t function. But what exactly are semiconductors? And what role do they have to play in electronic devices?

This blog post takes you to the fascinating realm of semiconductors, explaining to you their basics, working, and fabrication processes. Also, we shed light on the key parts that enable these complex compounds to deliver reliable performance. Continue reading!

Understanding Semiconductors

In essence, a semiconductor is a chemical element or compound that possesses specific electrical properties. It can act as a conductor or insulator, meaning it conducts electricity under certain conditions and blocks it in other conditions. The conductance of a semiconductor can vary based on the current or voltage applied to the current electrode. Other factors affecting the semiconductor conductance include irradiation intensity by visible light, infrared radiation (IR), and ultraviolet or X-rays. The specific properties of a semiconductor depend on the impurities, also known as dopants, added to it.

How Do Semiconductors Work?

Semiconductors work by controlling the flow of electrons, acting as amplifiers or switches in electronic devices. They have a conductivity between that of conductors and insulators, which allows them to conduct or block electricity under certain conditions.

Here’s a more detailed explanation:

Energy Bands and Charge Carriers

In semiconductors, electrons occupy specific energy levels grouped into bands. The valence band contains electrons involved in atomic bonding, whereas the conduction band contains electrons that are free to move and conduct electric current. A band gap separates these two bands. In pure semiconductors, electrons can gain energy and jump from the valence band to the conduction band. This leaves behind holes, which act as charge carriers.

Doping

The doping process adds small amounts of impurities to intrinsic semiconductors to improve their conductivity. N-type doping introduces elements with more valence electrons, like phosphorus or arsenic. This creates excess electrons and makes the material more conductive. P-type doping, on the other hand, introduces elements with fewer valence electrons, like boron or gallium. This creates “holes”, which also contribute to conductivity.

Junctions and Semiconductor Devices

Semiconductors are often used to create junctions. In junctions, different types of semiconductor materials, such as n-type and p-type, are brought into contact. These junctions form the basis of several electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, LEDs, solar cells, and other devices.

How Are Semiconductors Made?

Semiconductors are one of the most complex products ever manufactured. A common semiconductor chip, which is only about 1 millimeter thick, has billions of microscopic switches. So, it’s no wonder that semiconductors are fabricated through a multi-step process. Below, we’ve explained it in detail:

Mask Operations

The first step in manufacturing semiconductors is taking digital blueprints and convert them into glass templates. These glass templates are referred to as masks and are used in fabrication photolithography. After completion, these masks are sent to fabrication factories to begin manufacturing.

Fabrication

The next stage involves using high-tech equipment in cleanrooms to create layers of circuits and devices on silicon wafers. Each wafer houses hundreds of chips. From here, the finished wafers are sent to die/sort prep facilities.

Die/Sort Prep

The die/sort preparation facilities have diamond saws that cut the wafers into thousands of fingernail-size individual rectangles. Each of these rectangles is called a die or computer chip. The working chips are then handed to another machine that places them on reels and sends them to assembly and test plants.

Assembly and Test

In this stage, each die is tested one more time to ensure everything is working as intended. If these dies pass the test, they are mounted between a heat spreader and a substrate to form an enclosed package. The enclosed package protects the die from external factors, including heat, damage, and contaminants.

Finished Goods Warehouses

From here, the chips may be directly sent to system manufacturers or shipped to global distribution hubs.

What Are the Key Parts of a Semiconductor?

Semiconductors are composed of various components that enable them to control the flow of electric current. These include:

Atoms: Semiconductors are made of atoms, typically silicon (Si) or germanium (Ge), which form a crystal lattice structure.

Electrons and Holes: Electrons are negatively charged particles, while holes act as a positive charge carrier. These charge carriers are crucial for current flow.

Conduction and Valence Bands: As explained earlier, electrons are grouped into energy levels called bands. The valence band is where electrons are bound to atoms, whereas the conduction band is where electrons are free to move and conduct electricity.

Transistors: Transistors are key semiconductor devices used for amplifying or switching electronic signals and power.

Diodes: Diodes are two-terminal semiconductor devices that enable current to flow only in one direction. They are used in rectifying voltages and signal modulation.

PN Junctions: In semiconductors, a p-type semiconductor (with holes) is joined with an n-type semiconductor (with electrons) to form a PN junction. This creates a region where charge carriers can move in a controlled way.

Integrated Circuits (ICs): ICs are semiconductor components that integrate multiple electronic components on a single chip. This allows for the development of complex circuits and devices.

To Conclude

In recent decades, semiconductors have been integrated into several popular industries and countless products. They are a vital part of mobile phones, the internet, automotive technologies, and several other consumer products. As a result, the semiconductor market plays a key role in the global economy.