drop-in test structures
metrology
Spectroscopic ellipsometry and inline optical wafer metrology constitute the non-destructive physical measurement and defect detection disciplines that govern yield control across…
3,802 technical terms and definitions
metrology
Spectroscopic ellipsometry and inline optical wafer metrology constitute the non-destructive physical measurement and defect detection disciplines that govern yield control across…
dry etch polymer residue redeposition prediction, dry etch polymer, etch polymer residue, polymer residue redeposition, residue redeposition prediction, dry etch
Dry Etch Polymer Residue Redeposition Prediction with Machine Learning Introduction & Motivation Dry Etch Polymer Residue Redeposition Prediction with Machine Learning addresses…
plasma etching, anisotropic etching, wet vs dry etch, directional etch, undercut
Dry etching is the family of techniques that remove material from a wafer using gases, plasmas, or energetic ions rather than liquid chemical baths, and it is contrasted with wet…
diffusion, silicon dioxide thermal growth kinetics, dry oxidation SiO2 interface quality, oxide breakdown field strength reliability TDDB, gate oxide high-k dielectric interfacial layer, oxidation stress wafer warping STI isolation
Dry oxidation grows silicon dioxide by reacting silicon with molecular oxygen gas rather than water vapor, and the choice of oxidant is not a minor process detail — it is…
packaging
Dry pack requirements is the set of packaging and labeling conditions required to maintain moisture-sensitive components in controlled low-humidity state - they ensure parts…
lithography
Dry resist (also called dry film resist) refers to photoresist materials applied as solid thin films rather than liquid solutions spun onto the wafer. This approach eliminates…
dsa, directed self-assembly, lithography
Directed Self-Assembly (DSA) is a lithography technique that uses block copolymers (BCPs) — molecules containing two chemically distinct polymer chains bonded together…
metrology
Dual-beam FIB-SEM is a combined instrument integrating a Focused Ion Beam and Scanning Electron Microscope in a single chamber — enabling simultaneous ion beam milling…
copper dual damascene, copper interconnect integration, beol metallization, via trench single fill, low-k interconnect fabrication, damascene cmp flow
Copper dual damascene interconnect architectures, electrochemical superfilling, and barrier-seed metallization constitute the back-end-of-line (BEOL) wiring systems that route…
dip, packaging
Dual in-line package is the through-hole package with two parallel rows of straight leads designed for socketing or PCB insertion - it remains important in legacy, prototyping…
tensile stress liner nmos, compressive stress liner pmos, stress liner deposition, cesl nitride film
Channel strain engineering, embedded silicon-germanium (eSiGe) source/drain stressors, and dual contact etch stop liners (DSL / CESL) constitute the primary material-enhancement…
production
Dummy wafer: a non-product wafer that does a real process job. A dummy wafer is used to establish a qualified load, condition equipment or support a tool operation without…
duv, deep ultraviolet, lithography
DUV (Deep Ultraviolet) lithography uses short-wavelength ultraviolet light — primarily 193nm (ArF) and 248nm (KrF) — to pattern semiconductor wafers, and has been the workhorse…
metrology
Dynamic Range is the ratio between the largest and smallest measurable values — spanning from the detection limit (or quantification limit) at the low end to the saturation…
metrology
Dynamic SIMS is the high-flux primary ion beam mode of Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry used for depth profiling, where a continuous, high-current primary ion beam (O2^+ or Cs^+)…
low power chip design, dvfs controller, power management ic, pmic frequency scaling
Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) is the critical active power management technique in modern SoCs and microprocessors that dynamically adjusts the operating voltage…
electron beam evaporation, ebeam evaporation, electron beam gun, water-cooled hearth, crucible skull, beam sweep, spitting defect, oxide dissociation, evaporation radiation damage, reactive evaporation, ion assisted deposition, pvd
Electron-beam evaporation is best understood not as a hotter heater but as a solution to the containment problem: it lets the material hold itself. A resistively heated source has…
metrology
E-beam inspection scans selected wafer regions with focused electrons to find physical or electrical anomalies that may be difficult to distinguish optically. It combines…
lithography
E-Beam Lithography (EBL) is a maskless direct-write patterning technique that uses a precisely focused electron beam to expose electron-sensitive resist with sub-10nm resolution…
e beam lithography field stitching error prediction with machine learning, e beam lithography field stitching error prediction machine learning, e beam
E-Beam Lithography Field Stitching Error Prediction with Machine Learning Introduction & Motivation E-Beam Lithography Field Stitching Error Prediction with Machine Learning…
lithography, VSB, variable shaped beam, electrostatic correction, laser interferometry, per-shot dose modulation, NuFlare, JEOL, serial write time
An e-beam mask writer patterns a mask blank using a focused electron beam shaped into variable-sized rectangles, exposing one shot at a time with sub-nanometer placement accuracy…
ebooks, semiconductor ebooks
Semiconductor Engineering & Capital Allocation eBook Series The ChipFoundryServices Technical Series is a four-volume engineering canon that maps the physical constraints…
ebook, semiconductor ebooks, books, technical books, ebook series, chip book, foundry book, lithography book, etch book
Semiconductor Engineering & Capital Allocation eBook Series The ChipFoundryServices Technical Series is a four-volume engineering canon that maps the physical constraints…
eco metal fix, chip eco, gate level eco, spare cell eco
Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) are the late-stage design modifications made to a chip after the main design flow is complete, typically to fix functional bugs, implement…
fabless foundry model, osat, idm, integrated device manufacturer, ip vendor, eda vendor, test house, chip supply chain roles
Ecosystem is the word the industry reaches for when no single company's org chart can explain how a chip gets made. A modern design passes through a dozen companies that never…
ai in chip design, machine learning physical design, reinforcement learning routing, ml timing prediction
AI-driven EDA (Electronic Design Automation powered by Machine Learning and Deep Reinforcement Learning) is the transformative integration of deep learning, reinforcement…
electronic design automation, chip design tools, eda software
EDA tools are electronic design automation software: the compilers, analyzers, editors, solvers, and verification systems that turn a chip idea into manufacturable geometry.…
metrology
Eddy-current metrology uses electromagnetic coupling to examine a conductive film without electrical probe contact. An alternating current in a coil produces a changing magnetic…
ebr process, photoresist edge bead, coating uniformity edge, lithography edge exclusion
Edge Bead Removal Control Edge bead removal (EBR) is the controlled application of a compatible solvent near the wafer perimeter during or immediately after spin coating. Its job…
wafer edge analysis, metrology
Spectroscopic ellipsometry and inline optical wafer metrology constitute the non-destructive physical measurement and defect detection disciplines that govern yield control across…
edge model caching and prefetching strategy, edge model caching, model caching prefetching, caching prefetching strategy, edge model, model caching, caching prefetching
Edge Model Caching and Prefetching Strategy Introduction & Motivation Edge Model Caching and Prefetching Strategy addresses a central problem in edge-computing process control…
wafer bevel, edge polish
Edge Rounding is a wafer finishing process that smooths sharp corners at the wafer edge to reduce chipping, particle generation, and film stress during processing. What Is Edge…
wafer edge, edge bead removal
Edge Trim is a wafer process step that removes material from the wafer edge to eliminate particles, films, or defects that could cause contamination or handling issues. What Is…
efem load port wafer mapping fault prediction, efem load port, load port wafer, port wafer mapping, wafer mapping fault, mapping fault prediction, efem load, load port
EFEM Load Port Wafer Mapping Fault Prediction with Machine Learning Introduction & Motivation EFEM Load Port Wafer Mapping Fault Prediction with Machine Learning addresses…
elastic recoil detection, erd, metrology
Elastic Recoil Detection (ERD) is an ion beam analysis technique that measures the composition and depth distribution of light elements in thin films by directing a heavy ion beam…
parametric test wafer, functional test die, probe testing, wafer acceptance test
Electrical Test Methods are the comprehensive suite of measurements that verify electrical functionality and performance of semiconductor devices — ranging from simple continuity…
metrology
Electrical test structures are on-wafer structures for measuring electrical parameters — specialized patterns that enable precise measurement of resistance, capacitance…
electrical wafer sort, ews, testing
Electrical wafer sort (EWS) is the first electrical test step in semiconductor manufacturing, where each die on a wafer is probed before packaging. The purpose is simple: identify…
el, electroluminescence imaging, electroluminescence spectroscopy, led electroluminescence, pv electroluminescence, electroluminescence metrology
A solar-cell crack, an LED contact defect, and a locally hot junction can all produce dark or bright electroluminescence contrast, but through different electrical and optical…
emi radiated emission, chip package emc, emc pre compliance testing, spread spectrum clocking emc
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) in Chip Design is a systems-level discipline ensuring integrated circuits operate reliably in electromagnetically noisy environments while…
electromagnetism mathematics, maxwell equations, drift diffusion, semiconductor electromagnetism, poisson equation, boltzmann transport, negf, quantum transport, optoelectronics
Electromagnetism Mathematics Modeling A comprehensive guide to the mathematical frameworks used in semiconductor device simulation, covering electromagnetic theory, carrier…
ebsd, ebsd mapping, kikuchi pattern orientation mapping, high resolution ebsd, hr-ebsd, semiconductor ebsd
A polished semiconductor wafer, metal interconnect cross-section, ceramic substrate, or solder joint can contain thousands of grains whose orientations govern slip, diffusion…
electron beam induced current, ebic semiconductor, ebic microscopy, ebic junction mapping, ebic defect analysis
A focused SEM beam does more than form a secondary-electron image of a semiconductor. Each energetic primary electron loses energy inside the solid and creates many electron–hole…
ebeam lithography, ebl, direct write lithography, ebeam patterning
Electron Beam Lithography (EBL) is the maskless patterning technique that uses a focused beam of electrons to directly write nanoscale features into resist — achieving sub-10nm…
electron energy loss spectroscopy, eels spectroscopy, stem eels, eels elemental mapping, eels semiconductor
An electron crossing an electron-transparent semiconductor lamella can emerge unchanged, or it can surrender a precisely measurable portion of its energy to the specimen. Those…
metrology
Electron microscopy is a family of high-resolution imaging and analysis techniques that use focused electron beams instead of light to achieve nanometer to atomic resolution…
metrology
Electron Ptychography is the application of ptychographic reconstruction to STEM data — using 4D-STEM datasets (a convergent beam electron diffraction pattern at each scan…
EDA, chip design tools, synthesis, place and route, design verification, CAD for chips
Electronic design automation is the broad category of software tools used to design, simulate, verify, and prepare integrated circuits for manufacturing, and it is…
electrochemical deposition, copper damascene plating, copper superfilling, ECD copper
Copper dual damascene interconnect architectures, electrochemical superfilling, and barrier-seed metallization constitute the back-end-of-line (BEOL) wiring systems that route…
deposition predicting electroplating uniformity drift with time and bath chemistry, deposition predicting electroplating, predicting electroplating uniformity, uniformity drift time
Deposition: Predicting electroplating uniformity drift with time and bath chemistry Introduction & Motivation Deposition: Predicting electroplating uniformity drift with time…