Shadowing Practice: How are Microchips Made? 🖥️🛠️ CPU Manufacturing Process Steps - Learn English Speaking with Video

Inside the smartphone are 62 microchips containing a total of 90 billion transistors.

These microchips are incredibly powerful and the cornerstone of all technology.

But how are billions of nanoscopic transistors manufactured into a microchip the size of a tiny ant?

Well, all these microchips were manufactured in a semiconductor fabrication plant like this one.

Inside it is a clean room which spans the area of eight football fields and is filled with hundreds of machines

ranging in size from that of a van to

that of a city bus and costing anywhere between a few million and 170 million dollars.

Within this microchip factory silicon wafers travel from machine to machine and and undergo around a thousand processes over a three-month period.

And, by the end of production, each silicon wafer will be covered in hundreds of CPU chips,

each containing 26 billion transistors.

When we zoom in, we can see the nanoscopic transistors at the bottom, and over a dozen layers of wires above.

This integrated circuit is then cut out from the wafer, tested and packaged so that it can be installed into your desktop computer.

In this video, we're going to explore the entire microchip manufacturing process

and show you how billions of nanoscopic transistors

and an impossibly complex 3D maze of wires are manufactured in one of the world's most technologically advanced microchip factories.

It's an incredibly complicated process, So stick around and let's jump right in.

A portion of this video is sponsored by Brilliant.org.

There are two sides to understanding how microchip manufacturing works.

The first is the sequence of steps and processes needed to build the nanoscopic transistors and the labyrinth of wires.

Whereas the second is how the semiconductor fab and multi-million dollar equipment of the clean room floor work.

And we'll be flipping between these two sides to get a complete picture.

Let's start by opening up this desktop computer, focusing on the CPU and taking a look at what's inside.

Here we have an integrated circuit, or die, which we'll refer to as a chip.

This chip has 24 cores, a memory controller, a graphics processor and many other sections.

Within one of the cores we can see its block diagram and the various elements.

Zooming in on this multiply block, we find a layout of 44,000 transistors that physically execute 32-bit multiplication

and constitute just .00017% of the overall 26 billion transistors in the CPU.

Zooming in even further, we see layers of metal wires or interconnects, and at the very bottom are the transistors that form the basic logic gates.

Note that these layers of metal interconnects aren't floating, but rather the empty space that you see is filled with insulating materials,

thus providing structure and preventing the metal wire layers from touching.

Furthermore, here we're only showing the transistors at the bottom and five layers of metal interconnects, with vias traveling vertically between the layers.

In actuality, there are a total of 17 metal layers of wires in the CPU,

and each successive set of levels uses larger and larger interconnects.

At the bottom are local interconnects that move data around this 32-bit multiply circuit.

In the middle are intermediate interconnects that move data around the core.

And at the top are global interconnects that move data around the entire CPU.

You might be wondering how small are these transistors.

Zooming in again and past the interconnect layers,

we find finfets, which are transistors whose channel dimensions are 36 by 6 by 52 nanometers,

with a transistor-to-transistor pitch of 57 nanometers.

Clearly the transistors are incredibly small.

Here's a mitochondria, a dust particle, and a human hair for size comparisons.

Now that you have a sense of what the transistors and labyrinth of metal interconnects look like, let's explore how they're manufactured.

We'll begin with an analogy.

Imagine baking a cake that's 80 layers tall, with each layer cut to a unique shape.

To make this cake, there are 940 steps in the recipe,

which takes three months to complete and and includes hundreds of exotic ingredients.

And if any measurement, baking time, or temperature is more than 1% off, then the cake is entirely ruined.

That's kind of what it's like to make a microchip.

But microchips are even more complicated.

Let's look at a single layer of this integrated circuit and run through a simplified set of steps used to build it.

To start, a layer of insulating silicon dioxide is deposited on top of the wafer,

and then a layer of light-sensitive photoresist is spread across the top.

Next, using UV light and a stencil, a pattern is applied to the photoresist.

Solvents then are used to remove the areas hit by the UV light, thus creating a patterned mask layer.

Using the mask, the revealed silicon dioxide is etched away down to the previous layer.

Next, the mask layer is removed

and a layer of copper is added to cover the wafer and fill in the areas that were just etched away.

Finally, the surface is ground down and leveled off to reveal the copper and insulator patterns.

And thus, a single layer is completed.

In order to build the next layer, which is a vertical set of metal vias, we repeat the same set of steps,

but use a different pattern for the photomask.

Since these layers are all built using the same set of steps,

it's more effective to visualize the steps as a circle like a clock.

To build all the 80 layers of the die,

this sequence is repeated over and over, resulting in 940 steps.

One important note is

that the FinFET transistors at the bottom are even more complicated than the metal wires

and thus additional steps are needed to fabricate them.

Furthermore, cleaning the wafer to wash away dust particles that may have landed on the wafer,

as well as inspecting the wafer to make sure everything is being built properly, happens frequently and these steps need to be added to the circle.

A different tool is used to complete each of these process steps.

Now that we have an understanding of the steps, let's take a look at this semiconductor fabrication plant.

This CPU is manufactured on a 300 millimeter silicon wafer which can fit 230 CPU chips.

In contrast, DRAM chips are considerably smaller and thus 952 of them can fit on a wafer.

These silicon wafers are carried in stacks of 25 using a container called a front opening universal pod or foop.

This sealed plastic wafer carrier is transported around the clean room floor using an overhead transport system

which lowers the foop onto the tool's landing pad.

Inside the tool, robotic arms transport the wafer through vacuum load locks and to different process chambers where materials are added,

removed, or processed in ways that we'll explore later.

The wafers are then returned to the foop, resealed inside, lifted up to the overhead transport system,

and carried to and dropped onto the next tool, where the next step in the process is completed.

To build the entire chip composed of 80 different layers, it takes three months of traveling from tool to tool,

where at each stop one of the 940 process steps is completed.

In order to increase the microchip mass production capabilities of a semiconductor fabrication plant,

or fab, typically there are dozens of the same semiconductor tools tools organized in rows that perform the same process.

On the clean room floor, there are a total of 435 semiconductor tools,

resulting in the fab's production capacity of 50,000 wafers, or 11.5 million CPUs a month.

These tools have rather complicated names, so we'll start by categorizing them according to their functionality.

There are six groups, making the mask layer, adding material, removing material, modifying the material,

cleaning the wafer, and finally inspecting the wafer.

We've color-coded the different functional groups to the various tools and process steps to help you not get lost.

Let's next look at each of these semiconductor tools and see how they process the wafer in various ways.

We'll start with the ones that are used to make the mask layer or the nanoscopic stencil on the wafer.

These tools include the PhotoResist Spin Coater, PhotoLithography Tool, Developer, and PhotoResist Stripper.

First, the PhotoResist Spin Coater applies a light sensitive layer to the surface of the wafer

and sends it through a soft bake where the wafer is heated in order to evaporate the solvent from the photoresist.

Next, the wafer goes to the lithography tool, which shines UV light through a stencil, which is technically called a photomask.

The light passes through the stencil and is then demagnified or shrunk down to produce a nanoscopic pattern on the wafer.

100

Wherever the light from the stencil touches the wafer, the photoresist is weakened.

101

The wafer then goes to the developer and the weakened photoresist is washed away,

102

leaving only the patterned nanoscopic stencil on the wafer.

103

The wafer is then sent through a hard bake to harden the remaining photoresist.

104

Next, the wafer travels to other tools to undergo processing.

105

And once these processes are completed, the wafer goes to a photoresist stripper,

106

which uses solvents to dissolve and remove the photoresist mask layer.

107

And that's how a mask layer is formed and then removed.

108

The photolithography tool is one of the most important, so let's take a look at it.

109

Inside is a UV light source, a set of lenses to focus the light,

110

a photomask which contains the stencil or design of the layer to be patterned, and a wafer carrier.

111

The photomask is 6 by 6 inches and, based on the dimensions of the CPU,

112

can fit two copies of a single layer of the CPU design.

113

The purpose of using a photomask with these crazy optics is

114

because it's a reliable way to copy

115

and paste a design for billions of nanoscopic transistors and wires onto 230 identical CPUs

116

on a single wafer in a few minutes.

117

After the light passes through the photo mask,

118

the UV light goes to more lenses in order to shrink down the pattern by a factor of four

119

and print a single layer of the design onto the photoresist.

120

The wafer carrier steps from position to position,

121

printing the photo mask image at each stop until all 230 chips are patterned.

122

Let's clarify one detail.

123

In our previous examples we talked a lot about this CPU having 80 layers.

124

Specifically, what we were referring to is the number of photo masks

125

and mask layers used to create all the different layers of patterns on the wafer.

126

Therefore, one complete CPU chip uses 80 different photo masks, each costing $300,000.

127

With only one mask layer being patterned at a time, this CPU chip will undergo 80 separate visits to the lithography tool.

128

We could spend another hour talking about photolithography, but let's move on to the next category of tools.

129

Deposition tools are used to add or deposit material onto the wafer.

130

A lot of times we use the mask layer from the

131

photolithography step to add materials to the areas uncovered by the mask layer, kind of like spray painting through a stencil.

132

Due to the wide range of elements and compounds used to create the layers,

133

deposition tools have a wide range of variations with complicated names and acronyms for each variant.

134

But essentially, there are three key groups of materials that are added or deposited onto the wafer.

135

Metals such as copper or tantalum, insulators which are typically called oxides, and crystalline layers of silicon.

136

Each group of different materials uses different physics and chemistry principles to deposit the material on the wafer,

137

and therefore has a different technical name for the tool that deposits the material.

138

Deposition tools typically have a central wafer handling chamber, with the various chambers attached to the edges,

139

each one dedicated to adding just a single element or compound.

140

The next category of machines do the opposite, which is to remove material.

141

There are two key methods.

142

The first is etching.

143

Etchers use either corrosive chemicals or high-energy plasmas to react with and remove materials from the surface of the wafer.

144

They're typically used with the mask layer stencil in order to remove the material exposed by the mask,

145

thus creating a hole that can be later filled by a deposition tool.

146

The second method to remove material is CMP, which is chemical mechanical planarization.

147

CMP applies slurry and uses abrasive pads to grind and polish away the top surface of the wafer, making it perfectly flat.

148

CMP levels off the top layers of the wafer

149

and is typically used as the last step in a cycle

150

of processes in order to prepare the wafer for another layer to be added.

151

The fourth category are tools that modify the silicon and are called ion implanters.

152

These tools use the photomask stencil to bombard the unmasked regions with phosphor,

153

boron, or other elements in order to make the P and the N regions required to form the transistors themselves.

154

Therefore, ion implanters are only used in the front end of line.

155

You might think that this is adding material.

156

However, ion implanters only add around one atom of phosphor or boron for every 10,000 atoms of silicon.

157

Additionally, while other machines spray paint a layer on top of the wafer, ion implanters hurl atoms deep into the silicon lattice,

158

kind of like a cannon launching a baseball six feet into a concrete wall.

159

This process typically damages the silicon lattice,

160

which is why the following step is to repair the silicon by heating the wafer using a separate tool called an annealer.

161

The fifth category of tools are used to clean and remove any contaminants or particles from the wafer.

162

These wafer washers use ultra-pure water to clean the wafer and then dry it with nitrogen or hot isopropyl alcohol.

163

Cleaning the wafer happens rather frequently in order to remove any stray particles that may have fallen onto the wafer.

164

And finally, sixth, are tools that inspect the transistors and metal layers for defects and are called metrology tools.

165

A common metrology tool uses a scanning electron microscope with nanometer

166

level resolution to take pictures of the top surface of the wafer

167

and determine if there are defects such as improperly patterned layers or particles on the surface.

168

When fabricating an integrated circuit that takes three months to complete,

169

it's important to repeatedly monitor the progress and make sure that each of the processes is being executed with nanometer level precision.

170

Now that we've covered each of the categories, here are the color-coded process steps along with the layout of the tools the semiconductor fabrication plant.

171

Let's run through the complete set of steps used to manufacture a single metal interconnect layer.

172

First, a layer of insulating silicon dioxide is deposited onto the wafer.

173

Next, photoresist is spread across the surface and the wafer is sent through a soft bake to remove the solvent.

174

The wafer then travels to the photolithography tool, where the design from the photomask is transferred to each of

175

the chips on the wafer by weakening the areas of photoresist hit by the light.

176

The wafer next goes to the developer to wash away the sections

177

that were hit by the light from the lithography tool and then through a hard bake to harden the remaining photoresist.

178

With the mask layer built, the wafer goes to an etching tool,

179

where a plasma etcher removes a vertical column through the exposed silicon dioxide until it reaches the previous layer's metal liars.

180

Next, the wafer is sent to a photoresist stripper, where the mask layer is removed.

181

The wafer then travels to a physical vapor deposition tool,

182

where a sequence of metals fills in the exposed pattern and coats the wafer in metal.

183

Finally, the wafer is sent to a chemical mechanical planarization tool, where the metal is ground down

184

so that all that remains is a flat layer of insulating silicon dioxide

185

and conductive copper interconnects that match the pattern from the photomask.

186

A single metal layer is now completed, and the wafer is ready for the next cycle to begin,

187

where insulating silicon dioxide in the vias will be added.

188

Note that cleaning and wafer metrology or inspection steps occur in between many of these other steps.

189

Furthermore, the process steps to make the transistors are less straightforward and utilize the ion implanter,

190

and thus we'll cover them in a separate video on transistor physics and design.

191

These steps are for building the integrated circuit on the wafer.

192

However, there are additional steps in manufacturing a microchip, which we'll explore in a little bit.

193

But before we get there, one important thing to note

194

is that the semiconductor industry is incredibly secretive regarding the exact tool layout

195

and the process steps and recipes used to make the transistors.

196

We wanted to make the best video on how microchips are made,

197

and it took us 180 hours of scouring the internet and textbooks for information and reference images.

198

And, using what we found, we spent 205 hours modeling each of these tools,

199

the many layers of the integrated circuit, and the semiconductor fab.

200

Furthermore, writing the script took about 100 hours,

201

and then animating all these visuals took more than 825 hours.

202

As a result, this video took over 1300 hours to make, and it's entirely free to watch.

203

We want to make more videos like this one, where we explore computer architecture and how transistors work,

204

and we can't do it without your help.

205

The best way you can help is by taking a few seconds to scroll down Write a comment below,

206

like this video, subscribe if you haven't already, and then share this video on social media or send it to a friend or colleague.

207

Truly, just a few seconds of your time helps far more than you think.

208

Additionally, we have a Patreon page where we'll be releasing behind-the-scenes footage of our work and updates for upcoming videos.

209

If you find what we do useful, we would appreciate any support.

210

Thank you.

211

So then, what are the additional steps in manufacturing a microchip?

212

Before chip manufacturing at the fab, we first have to manufacture the silicon wafers by refining quartzite into pure silicon,

213

and then growing a monocrystalline ingot and cutting it into wafers.

214

For reference, these 300 millimeter wafers are around three quarters of a millimeter thick.

215

They have a barcode on the side and a small notch in them to indicate the direction of the crystal lattice.

216

Furthermore, these wafers are incredibly delicate and shatter into hundreds of shards when broken.

217

A single wafer costs around $100.

218

But after being populated with CPUs,

219

it's worth closer to $100,000, making it quite literally 10 times more valuable than its weight in gold.

220

Moving on to the steps after chip manufacturing.

221

The completed wafer is sent to a separate building where each of the CPUs undergoes rigorous testing to figure out

222

if it works as intended.

223

If a CPU works, that's great.

224

But frequently, a particle or photomass defect has damaged a section of the integrated circuit, rendering that section defective.

225

These semi-functional circuits are then categorized or binned, based on what still works.

226

These Intel 13th Gen processors are sold as an i9, i7, i5, or i3,

227

depending on how many cores are functional with different product lines of CPUs whose onboard integrated graphics sections are defective.

228

These wafers are transported to another building where the chips are cut out using a laser, flipped over and placed on an interposer,

229

which distributes the connection points to a printed circuit board while a protective heat conductive cover is placed on the back side.

230

The printed circuit board holds the landing grid array that interfaces with the motherboard as well as various electrical components.

231

Next, an integrated heat spreader is mounted on top

232

and the entire assembly is tested one last time before being packaged for sale.

233

Finally, the CPU is now ready to be mounted onto the motherboard and installed into your desktop computer.

234

It's important to understand that chip manufacturing requires an incredible amount of science

235

and engineering and there's a free

236

and easy way to learn the basic principles inside each of these complex tools and that's with this video's sponsor Brilliant.org.

237

Brilliant reimagines how courses are taught.

238

Instead of boring hour-long lectures or textbooks that put you to sleep.

239

Brilliant uses fun and interactive modules inside thousands of lessons from basics to advanced topics.

240

And new lessons are added every month.

241

Whatever your skill level, Brilliant customizes its content to fit your needs and allows you to learn at your own pace.

242

We use Brilliant daily.

243

We're working on videos on how AI and chat GPT works.

244

And so each of our animators is progressing through their lessons on how large language models work.

245

Because you're watching this video, you'll probably enjoy learning about how technology works.

246

And fortunately for you, Brilliant just added a course on this very topic.

247

In it, they have lessons such as how GPS works,

248

how computer memory works, and how recommendation algorithms such as those used by YouTube work.

249

If you're looking to advance your career,

250

Brilliant is the go-to resource for leveling up your skills and staying up to date on the latest concepts behind world-changing technology.

251

For the viewers of this channel, Brilliant is offering a free 30-day trial with access to all their thousands of lessons.

252

Additionally, Brilliant is offering 20% off an annual subscription.

253

Just go to brilliant.org slash branch education.

254

The link is in the description below.

255

Microchip fabrication is a massive topic.

256

And thus, we have two more equally complex videos that we're working on.

257

The first will be an in-depth 3D animated factory tour and the second will explore transistor physics,

258

FinFETs, and the next generation of transistors.

259

We're also working on a series of videos on GPUs and a separate one on CPU architecture.

260

So make sure to subscribe so you don't miss any of our videos.

261

We're thankful to all our Patreon and YouTube membership sponsors for supporting our work.

262

If you want to financially support our work, You can find the links in the description below.

263

This is Branch Education, and we create 3D animations that dive deeply into the technology that drives our modern world.

264

Watch another Branch video by clicking one of these cards, or click here to subscribe.

265

Thanks for watching to the end.

📺 Zelfde Kanaal

The Engineering that Runs the Digital World 🛠️⚙️💻 How do CPUs Work?

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

How does Tap to Pay Work?

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

How do SSDs Work? | How does your Smartphone store data? | Insanely Complex Nanoscopic Structures!

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

✨ Aanbevolen Video

60 zinnen

Millions of Luxury iPhone 17 Pro Max Are Manufactured — Inside Apple’s Massive Secret Factory

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

291 zinnen

How The World's Most Powerful Fighter Jet Engine Is Made

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

19 zinnen

I Made an EMP Device... It Actually Works

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

50 zinnen

0.0.1 How to become a CAE Engineer CAE | What are the ways to become a CAE Engineer as a fresher

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

252 zinnen

Memory is crazy expensive so I made my own…

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

23 zinnen

Working Principle of Chiller Plant | Animation | English

Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults

182 zinnen

Inside The Hidden Bottleneck In The AI Chip Boom

IELTS PrepBusiness EnglishUniversity Students

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

Shadowing Practice: How are Microchips Made? 🖥️🛠️ CPU Manufacturing Process Steps - Learn English Speaking with Video

The Engineering that Runs the Digital World 🛠️⚙️💻 How do CPUs Work?

How does Tap to Pay Work?

How do SSDs Work? | How does your Smartphone store data? | Insanely Complex Nanoscopic Structures!

What is SMT (Surface Mount Technology)? PCB Assembly (Part 2)

How Things Are Made | An Animated Introduction to Manufacturing Processes

Semiconductors explained in 16 mins | Chris Miller

Microbit lesson 1 introduction

Millions of Luxury iPhone 17 Pro Max Are Manufactured — Inside Apple’s Massive Secret Factory

How The World's Most Powerful Fighter Jet Engine Is Made

I Made an EMP Device... It Actually Works

0.0.1 How to become a CAE Engineer CAE | What are the ways to become a CAE Engineer as a fresher

Memory is crazy expensive so I made my own…

Working Principle of Chiller Plant | Animation | English

Inside The Hidden Bottleneck In The AI Chip Boom

Why This Video Is Perfect for English Speaking Practice

Breaking Down Natural Speech Patterns

A Simple Practice Routine for Shadowing

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?