Controller Chip

Description

The idea behind the microcontroller unit is its role as a cost-effective and energy-efficient processor designed for specific applications. Over the past few years, some of these devices have significantly increased in capability, leading to a blurring of the traditional definition of a microcontroller. Nowadays, controller chips are integrated into various devices such as Metal Detectors, Wearables, SSDs and CPUs.

Recipes

The starting point for the controller chip is a n-type Silicon Wafer with a SiO2 layer.

Step 1.0 Get the Mask (Ctrl 1st well) from the Mask Writer.

Mask Writer

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Mask (Ctrl 1st well)	Aluminum Nugget		Photomask (Wikipedia) Photomask (Video)

Step 1.1 Apply a positive photoresist vial to the silicon safer (N-type) SiO2 in the Chemical Solution Deposition machine and obtain the silicon wafer N-type SiO2 P-photoresist.

Chemical Solution Deposition

Step 1.2 Use the Silicon Wafer (N-type) SiO2 P-photoresist, Mask (Ctrl 1st well) and a 365 UV bulb in the Stepper to imprint the pattern and obtain the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.2. For positive photoresist, the UV light will harden and unexposed positive photoresist is soft and easily removable. The opposite occurs in negative photoresist.

Stepper

Step 1.3 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.2 and positive photoresist developer vial in the Chemical Processor to remove the unexposed photoresist and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.3.

Chemical Processor

Step 1.4 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.3 and ammonium fluoride etchant vial in the Chemical Processor to etch the 1st wells and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.4.

Chemical Processor

Step 1.5 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.4 and a photoresist stripper SPM vial in the Chemical Processor to remove the exposed photoresist and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.5.

Chemical Processor

Step 1.6 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.5 in the wafer washer to clean the wafer of photoresist residues and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.6.

Wafer Washer

Step 1.7 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.6 and a bag of boron in the Ion Beam to seed the 1st well with ions and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.7.

Ion Implanter

Step 1.8 The implantation process disrupted the silicon crystal structure. To smooth and repair the silicon crystal, take the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.7 to the annealing furnace with an argon cartridge and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.8.

Annealing Furnace

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Silicon Wafer Ctrl 1.8	Cartridge (Argon) Silicon Wafer Ctrl 1.7	1	Annealing (Wikipedia)

Step 1.9 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.8 and an oxygen cartridge in the O2 furnace to grow a SiO2 layer in the wafer and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.9.

O2 Furnace

Step 1.10 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.9 in the scanning electron microscope to check if the 1st well was correctly created and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 1.10.

Scanning Electron Microscope

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Silicon Wafer Ctrl 1.10	Silicon Wafer Ctrl 1.9		Scanning Electron Microscope (Wikipedia)

Step 2.0 Get the Mask (Ctrl 2nd well) from the mask writer.

Mask Writer

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Mask (Ctrl 2nd well)	Mask (Ctrl 2nd well)		Photomask (Wikipedia) Photomask (Video)

Step 2.1 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 1.9 and a positive photoresist vial in the Chemical Solution Deposition machine to obtain the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.1.

Chemical Solution Deposition

Step 2.2 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.1, Mask (Ctrl 2nd well) and a 365 nm UV Bulbs in the Stepper to imprint the etching pattern and obtain the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.3. For positive photoresist, the UV light will harden and unexposed positive photoresist is soft and easily removable. The opposite occurs in negative photoresist.

Stepper

Step 2.3 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.2 and positive photoresist developer vial in the Chemical Processor to remove the unexposed photoresist and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.3.

Chemical Processor

Step 2.4 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.3 and ammonium fluoride etchant vial in the Chemical Processor to etch the 2nd wells and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.4.

Chemical Processor

Step 2.5 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.4 and photoresist stripper SPM vial in the Chemical Processor to remove the exposed photoresist and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.5.

Chemical Processor

Step 2.6 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.5 in the wafer washer to clean the wafer of photoresist residues and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.6.

Wafer Washer

Step 2.7 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.6 and a bag of phosphorus in the Ion Bean to seed the 2nd well with ions and obtain silicon eafer Ctrl 2.7.

Ion Implanter

Step 2.8 The implantation process disrupted the silicon crystal structure. To smooth and repair the silicon crystal, take the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.7 to the annealing furnace with an argon cartridge and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.8.

Annealing Furnace

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Silicon Wafer Ctrl 2.8	Cartridge (Argon) Silicon Wafer Ctrl 2.7	1	Annealing (Wikipedia)

Step 2.9 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.8 and an oxygen cartridge in the O2 furnace to grow a SiO2 layer in the wafer and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.9.

O2 Furnace

Step 2.10 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.9 in the scanning electron microscope to check if the 2st well was correctly created and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 2.10.

Scanning Electron Microscope

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Silicon Wafer Ctrl 2.10	Silicon Wafer Ctrl 2.9		Scanning Electron Microscope (Wikipedia)

Step 3.0 Get the Mask (Ctrl Metal) from the mask writer.

Mask Writer

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Mask (Ctrl Metal)	Aluminum Nugget		Photomask (Wikipedia) Photomask (Video)

Step 3.1 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 2.9 and a negative photoresist vial in the chemical solution deposition machine to obtain the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.1.

Chemical Solution Deposition

Step 3.2 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.1, Mask (Ctrl Metal) and a 254 UV bulb in the Contact Printer to imprint pattern and obtain the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.2. For positive photoresist, the UV light will harden and unexposed positive photoresist is soft and easily removable. The opposite occurs in negative photoresist.

Stepper

Step 3.3 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.2 and negative photoresist developer vial in the chemical processor to remove the unexposed photoresist and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 3.3.

Chemical Processor

Step 3.4 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.3 and ammonium fluoride etchant vial in the chemical processor to etch the metal contacts and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 3.4.

Chemical Processor

Step 3.5 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.4 and photoresist stripper SPM vial) in the chemical processor to remove the exposed photoresist and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 3.5.

Chemical Processor

Step 3.6 Use the Silicon Wafer Ctrl 3.5 in the wafer washer to clean the wafer of photoresist residues and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 3.6.

Wafer Washer

Step 3.7 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.6 and a copper nugget for atomic layer deposition to create a copper layer in the wafer and obtain silicon wafer Ctrl 3.7.

Atomic Layer Deposition

Step 3.8 Use the silicon wafer Ctrl 3.7 in the chemical mechanical polisher to strip the excess of metal and obtain a unwashed controller die wafer.

Chemical Mechanical Polisher

Step 3.9 Use the unwashed controller die wafer in the wafer washer to clean the wafer of photoresist residues and obtain the unchecked controller die wafer.

Wafer Washer

Step 3.10 Use the unchecked controller die wafer in the scanning electron microscope to check it for defects.

Scanning Electron Microscope

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Unchecked Controller Die Wafer	Unchecked Controller Die Wafer		Scanning Electron Microscope (Wikipedia)

Step 3.11 Use the controller die wafer in the stone cutter to obtain the controller die.

Stonecutter

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Controller Die	Controller Die Wafer	16

Create the controller chip - Use a controller die, the enclosure and the interconnection array in the crafting table to obtain the controller chip.

Crafting Table

Outputs	Components	Recipe	Do you want to know more?
Controller Chip	Enclosure Controller Die Interconnection Array

History

Semiconductor module 1.0

Gallery

Links to learn more

Introduction to chemical processes for micro- and nanofabrication course from Chris Mack at the University of Texas at Austin (Videos)

Semiconductor fabrication 101 online course from Purdue University (MOC)

Semiconductor manufacturing from Duane Boning at MIT (Course materials)

Fundamentals of semiconductor manufacturing and process control from Gary S. May and Costas J. Spanos (Book PDF)

Photolitography (Book PDF)

Handbook of Silicon Wafer Cleaning Technology (Third Edition) (Book PDF)

Silicon Wafer Cleaning (Paper PDF)

Certification

Semiconductor fabrication 101 online course from Purdue University (MOC)

SEMI University

References

Silicon (Wikipedia)

Semiconductor fabrication 101 online course from Purdue University (MOC)

The Amazing, Humble Silicon Wafer Video from Asianometry (Youtube video)