Silicon wafer N type P Dopant 2inch 4inch 6inch 8inch Resistivity: 0-100 ohm-cm Single side polished

Product abstract

Silicon wafers are thin slices of semiconductor material, predominantly silicon, used as the substrate in the manufacture of integrated circuits (ICs) and other microelectronic devices. These wafers are derived from single-crystal silicon ingots, which are grown using methods such as the Czochralski (CZ) process. The ingots are then sliced into wafers, polished to achieve a mirror-smooth surface, and further processed based on specific industry requirements.

Product properties

Silicon wafers are integral to the semiconductor industry, exhibiting a range of properties that make them ideally suited for electronic and photonic device fabrication. Here are the key properties of silicon wafers:

1. Electrical Properties:

   • Semiconductor Behavior: Silicon has intrinsic semiconductor properties, meaning its conductivity can be altered by the addition of impurities, known as doping. This allows for the creation of p-type and n-type materials essential for forming p-n junctions in electronic devices.
   • Bandgap: Silicon has a bandgap of 1.12 eV at room temperature, which is favorable for electronic devices as it provides a good balance between electron mobility and resistance to thermal generation of electron-hole pairs.

2. Mechanical Properties:

   • Hardness and Strength: Silicon is a relatively hard and strong material, making it robust enough to withstand the mechanical stresses involved in semiconductor processing.
   • Brittleness: Despite its strength, silicon is brittle, which can lead to wafer breakage if not handled properly during manufacturing processes.

3. Thermal Properties:

   • Thermal Conductivity: Silicon has good thermal conductivity (about 150 W/mK at room temperature), which is crucial for dissipating heat in high-power and high-frequency devices.
   • Thermal Expansion Coefficient: Silicon has a thermal expansion coefficient of about 2.6 x 10^-6 per degree Celsius, which is relatively low and helps maintain structural integrity under thermal stress during device processing.

4. Optical Properties:

   • Transparency in Infrared: Silicon is transparent to infrared light, which makes it useful in infrared detectors and other photonic applications.

5. Chemical Properties:

   • Chemical Stability: Silicon is chemically stable under most processing conditions, though it can be etched by certain industrial chemicals used in semiconductor manufacturing.
   • Oxidation: Silicon readily forms a native oxide layer (silicon dioxide) when exposed to oxygen, especially at high temperatures. This oxide layer is useful in various semiconductor device fabrication steps, such as insulating layers and gate oxides in MOS technology.

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These properties are leveraged during the semiconductor device fabrication process, where precise control over electrical, mechanical, and chemical characteristics is required to produce reliable and high-performance electronic components. The adaptability of silicon wafers to various doping processes further enhances their utility in creating a wide range of electronic and photonic devices.

Product applications

Silicon wafers, due to their versatile properties and compatibility with various manufacturing technologies, find application across numerous industries. Here’s how these applications are generally categorized:

1. Integrated Circuits (ICs):

   • Microprocessors and Microcontrollers: These are the brains of computers, smartphones, and embedded systems, handling computations and data processing.
   • Memory Chips: Including DRAM, SRAM, and flash memory, which are essential for data storage in a wide array of electronic devices.

2. Solar Energy:

   • Photovoltaic Cells: Silicon wafers are a primary material in solar cells, converting sunlight into electricity. Both monocrystalline and polycrystalline silicon wafers are used, with efficiencies depending on the purity and crystal structure of the silicon.

3. Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS):

   • Sensors and Actuators: These include accelerometers, gyroscopes, and microphones that are commonly used in automotive systems, smartphones, and medical devices.

4. Optoelectronics:

   • LEDs and Photodetectors: Silicon wafers are used to build devices that emit or respond to light, integral in displays, optical communication systems, and imaging devices.
   • Integrated Optical Circuits: Used in telecommunications for more efficient data transmission.

5. Power Electronics:

   • Power Management Devices: These devices regulate and control the distribution and flow of electrical power in systems, vital for enhancing energy efficiency and performance in automotive and industrial applications.

6. Semiconductor Lasers:

   • Infrared Lasers: Although not the primary material for light-emitting applications, silicon is used in the construction of components for semiconductor lasers, especially for integrated photonics.

7. Quantum Computing:

   • Quantum Dots and Other Quantum Devices: Experimental applications of silicon wafers in quantum computing include creating quantum dots that can function as qubits.

Each of these applications leverages the unique electrical, thermal, mechanical, and optical properties of silicon wafers to fulfill specific functional requirements. The ongoing development and scaling down of silicon technology continue to open new possibilities and enhance existing capabilities across these diverse fields.