Our
silicon wafers fall into one of three general types: Prime Polished, Epitaxial,
and Test/Monitor wafers. They are also differentiated by product or process type,
and diameter; 100mm, 125mm, 150mm, 200mm, and 300mm. Our
silicon wafers vary in diameter, surface features (polished or epitaxial), composition,
purity levels, crystal properties, and electrical properties. They are manufactured
according to the precise specifications required by our customers. Semiconductor
manufacturers require wafers of larger diameter and more stringent technical specifications
in order to produce increasingly complex semiconductor devices such as the larger
megabit memory chips and microprocessors. Our
customers have increased their focus on efficient semiconductor production processes
because their manufacturing processes for semiconductor devices have become more
expensive. Our customers make many semiconductor devices, or chips, from the same
wafer, and all chips from a particular wafer are manufactured and processed simultaneously
at each stage in the device manufacturing process. Because of this, larger-sized
wafers allow for a greater throughput from the same semiconductor manufacturing
process and allow semiconductor manufacturers to spread their fixed costs of production
over a larger volume of finished products. For example, a 6-inch (150mm) wafer
has a surface area of approximately 27.4 square inches, whereas an 8-inch (200mm)
wafer has a surface area of approximately 48.7 square inches. Thus, the 8-inch
wafer has approximately 78% more surface area than the 6-inch wafer. A 12-inch
(300mm) wafer has a surface area of approximately 109.6 square inches or approximately
125% more surface area than an 8-inch wafer. Despite the industry's focus on larger
diameter wafers, we continue to manufacture and sell a significant amount of 4-inch
(100mm), 5-inch (125mm), and 6-inch (150mm) wafers. Product Request Form |