Semiconductor Fundamentals & Glossary

LEARN THE SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY

Clear, connected explanations of the technologies, manufacturing processes and business models shaping the chip industry.

Begin with the transistor, follow a wafer through the fab, then explore the memory, packaging and interconnect technologies behind modern AI systems.

START WITH THE BASICS

A practical introduction to the materials, transistors and chip categories at the center of modern electronics.

From circuit design and silicon wafers to fabrication, packaging and final test.

How contract chip manufacturers turn customers’ designs into processed wafers—and why yield and ecosystem depth matter.

Why stacked DRAM and very wide interfaces have become central to AI accelerators and high-performance computing.

Purpose-built processors that trade generality for performance and efficiency on selected AI workloads.

How multiple dies, high-density connections and thermal design extend system performance beyond a single chip.

Smaller dies combined in one package to build systems with more flexibility than a single monolithic chip.

The open package-level interconnect intended to help chiplets communicate across a common interface.

How 13.5-nanometer light, reflective optics and vacuum systems print the smallest features in advanced chips.

Atomic-scale film growth for precise, conformal layers in advanced logic, memory and three-dimensional structures.