Draft:Glossary of semiconductor terms

Glossary of semiconductor terms
''This is a list of terms used in the manufacture of semiconductors. Many of the terms are already defined and explained in Wikipedia; this glossary is for looking up, comparing, and reviewing the terms. You can help enhance this page by adding new terms or clarifying definitions of existing ones.''

A

 * Acceptor – An element that "accepts" an electron from a semiconductor atom. Acceptors will have one fewer valence bands than the semiconductor they accept from.  For example, Gallium (Z=31, 3 valence electrons) could be an acceptor for a semiconductor like silicon (Z=14) or germanium (Z=32), both of which have 4 valence electrons.  Acceptors facilitate conduction when used to dope semiconductors, since they provide an extra hole.  Semiconductors that are doped with acceptor atoms are called p-type semiconductor.
 * Acetic acid – A relatively weak acid, mainly used as a pH buffer.
 * Acetone – A highly volatile and flammable liquid, used primarily to clean-up positive photoresist.
 * Actinism – Property of radiant energy that produces chemical changes, particularly in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum.
 * Acoustic streaming – A steady flow in a fluid driven by the absorption of high amplitude acoustic oscillations, which is used to remove nano-scale particles.
 * Active Si layer – Silicon layer on top of the buried oxide.
 * Automatic defect classification a.k.a. ADC – The image information of the defect stored in the image server, is classified according to the cause of the defect by the classification software based on the predetermined rules and is then restored in the classification server. The classified information is sent to Yield Management System (YMS) and the host computer of the IC manufacturer so that it can be used in the failure and defect analysis. Some systems can classify defects using ADC in conjunction with the ADR function of the Defect Review SEM. The defect information obtained by ADR can also be classified collectively at a later stage.
 * Automatic defect review a.k.a. ADR – ADR stands for Automatic Defect Review. The aim of the Defect Review is to observe, classify and analyze the shape and components of the defect and particles detected by wafer inspection system in greater detail. Automatic Defect Review automatically obtains image of the desired defect using the defect information (coordinates, etc.) obtained in defect inspection. The data is stored and arranged into a database. In Defect Review SEM, an image of the defect is automatically obtained and stored using the ADR function.
 * Adhesion – Ability of materials to stick (adhere) to each other.
 * Adhesion promoter – Material used to improve adhesion of materials, typically photoresist to the substrate in a photolithographic processes. Some metals are also used to promote adhesion of subsequent layers.
 * Amorphous silicon – Si, a-Si: non-crystalline thin-film silicon having no long-range crystallographic order; inferior electrical characteristics as compared to single-crystal and poly Si but cheaper and easier to manufacture; used primarily to fabricate solar cells.
 * Ampere – A measure of electric current flow. The ampere is defined as the transfer of one Coulomb per second.
 * Analog signal – A signal in an electrical circuit that can have a continuous range of values. The term analog signal usually refers to electrical signals. (Also see Digital signal)
 * AND gate – An AND gate is a fundamental building block in digital logic circuits. It performs the logical AND operation, which essentially mimics the concept of "both...and" in everyday language.
 * Arrival angle – The range of angles at which the reactant gases arrive at the surface of the wafer. The arrival angle plays an important role in determining the quality of the step coverage, and is a function of the geometry at the wafer's surface.
 * Arithmetic logic unit a.k.a. ALU – One of the three essential components of a microprocessor, the other two being data registers and control. The ALU performs addition and subtraction, logic operations, masking, and shifting (multiplication and division).
 * ASIC – Application Specific Integrated Circuit. Semiconductor circuits specifically designed to suit a customer's particular requirement, as opposed to a DRAM or microcontroller, which are general-purpose parts.
 * Actinism – Property of radiant energy that produces chemical changes, particularly in the visible and ultraviolet spectrum.
 * Active component – Circuit element that switches the flow of current or has gain. Examples: transistors, diodes, vacuum tubes, etc.
 * Arithmetic logic unit a.k.a. ALU – One of the three essential components of a microprocessor, the other two being data registers and control. The ALU performs addition and subtraction, Logic operations, masking, and shifting (multiplication and division).
 * Atomic layer deposition a.k.a. ALD – A deposition technique whereby pulses of gaseous reactants are used to deposit a film one layer at a time.

B

 * Band gap – Also called an energy gap, is an energy range in a solid where no electronic states can exist.

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