Silicon is non-metallic
and gray. It is available in large scale in nature. It has unique
characteristics that have helped transform the world we live in today. One of
the main characteristic is its ability to conduct electricity and because of
this, it has become the essential material for the semiconductor industry.
Whatever revolutions we
are seeing from over the last decade in the communication and digital equipment
is because of Silicon and its unique characteristics. If you are in a business that buys wafers for
the semiconductor market, there are number of considerations that should be at
the forefront of your mind. The inherent quality and the cost of the product
are indeed crucial factors.
It is very important to
familiarize yourself with the factors that affect the cost to ensure that your business sells these
products at a higher price to increase profit. Price of silicon fluctuates
depending upon the external forces like the global economy, political decisions
and availability of the raw materials.
There are number of
different mechanical specifications of the wafers for example, thickness, diameter and variation
of thickness. For a wafer to function properly, there should be a uniform
specification with no room for error or
deviation. Some other important factors are the edge, flatness, and bow, all of
these should be uniform. The wafer needs to be completely smooth, also devoid
from any abrasion caused during the manufacturing process and thin film
deposition.
Every silicon wafer has
to be particle-free. If there remains even a single particle on a polished
surface of a wafer, this will impact its functionality. Due to this reason,
calibration usually includes a traceable particle standard to determine the
cost and quality. Some clients want a layer of silicon dioxide on their wafers
in order to create an electrical insulation layer on the bare silicon. These
types of silicon wafers are known as thermal oxide silicon wafers. They are referred to as thermal oxide silicon because
the silicon oxide layer is thermally grown at a very high temperature to a
desired thickness on both sides of the wafer.
The manufacturing
process of silicon wafers is very tedious and complicated. It is a process
which involves number of small sequential processes that are required to create
an electronic circuit.
