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Computer Chip: M Umair Badar M Zuhair H Khan

Computer chips are the smallest components of a computer, measuring in atoms rather than millimeters. They are created through a precise photolithography process that etches tiny grooves on silicon wafers to form transistor and circuit channels. Metals like aluminum or copper are deposited in the etched channels to conduct electrons and form the circuitry, while ions are used to make the surface more efficient at electron movement representing data. Modern manufacturing can squeeze millions of transistors onto a single computer chip through stacking multiple circuit layers or placing circuits less than a micron apart.

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M Zuhair H Khan
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57 views10 pages

Computer Chip: M Umair Badar M Zuhair H Khan

Computer chips are the smallest components of a computer, measuring in atoms rather than millimeters. They are created through a precise photolithography process that etches tiny grooves on silicon wafers to form transistor and circuit channels. Metals like aluminum or copper are deposited in the etched channels to conduct electrons and form the circuitry, while ions are used to make the surface more efficient at electron movement representing data. Modern manufacturing can squeeze millions of transistors onto a single computer chip through stacking multiple circuit layers or placing circuits less than a micron apart.

Uploaded by

M Zuhair H Khan
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COMPUTER CHIP

M Umair Badar M Zuhair H Khan

What is a Computer Chip?


Computer Chips are the smallest components of a computer. There dimensions are so small that they have to be sometimes measured in terms of atoms rather than in millimeters.

How are they manufactured?


Most chips are created on very thin wafers of nearly pure silicon. Chips are also made from plastic but silicon chips are most common and the most reliable.

The Process: Stage 1


Transistors and circuits exist on chips as tiny channels. They undergo a process called photolithography which physically etches tiny grooves on the surface of the wafer. During this process, the wafer is covered with a substance called photoresist, which is sensitive to certain types of light.

The Process: Stage 2

A glass pattern (called a mask) is placed on the wafer. It is marked with precise lines where each transistor and circuits lies on the chip. Ultraviolet light is then directed on the glass pattern. The pattern masks the wafer but the exposed area is washed away leaving the similar patterns of fine tracings on its surface.

The Process: Stage 3


The manufactures then coats the wafers surface with ions. This makes it more efficient in moving electrons (electrons movement refers to binary 1s and 0s which make up the data). Because electrons are so small, the circuitry of the chip can be very small.

The Process: Stage 4

In this process, the atoms of metals (such as aluminum or copper) are placed in the etched channels of the wafers surface. These connections conduct electrons as they move through the chip.

So many transistors!

Todays manufacturing process are so precise that they can squeeze millions of transistors onto a single chip. They are so small that they can fit on a persons thumbnail. This is done by etching the chips surface in separate layers, literally stacking sets of circuits on top of another.

Another way is to place circuits close together. Currently, circuits are placed at a distance of less than a micron (one-millionth of a meter). Todays computer chips contain tens of millions of transistors. We can expect more than a billion transistors on the single chip in years to come.

THANK YOU

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