From Sand to Silicon: The Making of a Microchip | Intel

[Music] the world is producing data at an unprecedented rate faster than our ability to analyze and understand it to move store and compute all of this data requires incredible processing power from the blazing speeds of our devices to blazing trails within ai intel builds chips that are at the heart of nearly everything within every intel chip manufacturing facility across the globe innovators are pushing the limits of science and literally rearranging atoms to create groundbreaking technology this strong silicon foundation is what gives each intel chip limitless potential at the heart of all modern electronics the transistor is a tiny switch 10 000 times smaller than a human hair that controls the flow of electrons through a circuit to build a processor billions of transistors are packed into an area no larger than a fingernail it's one of mankind's most complex feats and a remarkable achievement that intel has essentially doubled transistor density in every new generation of processors the process begins when silicon-rich sand is melted and cooled forming a solid which is then sliced into wafers once inside an intel fab the raw wafers begin their long journey through an incredibly complex process they're loaded into front opening unified pods or foops which travel hundreds of miles along intel's automated super highway going from tool to tool as processors are painstakingly built up on each wafer the wafer first goes through a series of important steps such as photolithography ion implantation and etching that prepare it for the critical transistor formation process intel was the first to manufacture three-dimensional transistors called finfets finfet construction requires first building a channel in the form of a fin intel has devised several innovations to overcome fundamental barriers to continue transistor scaling one such innovation is a breakthrough fabrication method called gate last it involves building then removing a temporary gate in order to precisely place the dielectric material and metal gate this allows for the gate to wrap around the fin and control the flow of electrons through the channel another invention moves the transistor contact directly over the active gate to accomplish this the gate material is recessed and then filled with insulating dielectric material to prevent the creation of a short circuit next the dielectric near the gate is etched filled with metal recessed and capped to allow a novel self-aligning process that enables the high density contact geometries now the dielectrics are etched selectively to expose only the desired part to connect to the first metal lines this is done through an innovative via etch and deposition scheme allowing contact over active gate to happen finally dozens of layers of metal interconnect lines are added to complete the circuit after more than a thousand of these complex steps the wafers are finally prepared for singulation and packaging innovative processor packaging has become a critical feature of advanced computing architecture 2d and 3d packaging technologies are enabling new device form factors and additional boosts in performance and energy efficiency testing of the final product ensures that every chip exceeds our performance and quality standards in addition to adding more performance and features with each new processor generation intel's integrated design and manufacturing capabilities have enabled humanity to innovate game-changing technologies that impact nearly every facet of modern life intel keeps powering the world at the same time we're powered by you the makers the dreamers the doers the people who share in our history of making the world smarter faster and more connected you

Channel: Intel

Views: 5,184,646

Keywords: Austin, Intel, Jim Parsons, Internet of Things, iot, Intel edison, computer, video, company, innovation, computer hardware, official, channel, tech, technology, mobile, semiconductor, processors, blutetooth, flash memory, microprocessors, interface cards, PC, Commercial, TV, X Games, Snowboarding, Inside Intel, Tech Leadership, Sand to Silicon

Id: _VMYPLXnd7E

Length: 4min 44sec (284 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 18 2020

Reddit Comments

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[u/SuperSonic6]

These transistors aren’t atom sized. I have no idea why OP put that in the title. Clickbait.

[u/Daantjebanaantje12]

Yet intel can't even bring their 10 nanometer design on time.

[u/robdogcronin]

how is this representing an atom sized transistors?

[u/Fahad97azawi]

Atom sized transistors is a pipe dream and certainly not the future