Silicon Wafers

Silicon Wafers > Computer Memory > Magnetic Storage > MEMS Devices

Silicon Wafers

End of a Silicon Ingot

Silicon (Si), a Semiconducting material made from silica, is the fundamental building block of modern integrated circuits, diodes, rectifiers, transistors, and solar cells.

The history of Silicon starts with it's discovery by Jöns Jacob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist, in 1824 . For the next 130 years Silicon would not see any major industrial uses.

Fast forward to the late 1940's when companies including RCA & Western Electric are working on creating some of the very first transistors using a different semiconducting material other than Silicon, a material called Germanium (Ge).

However, by the early 1950's Silicon is found to be a much more efficient semiconducting material than Germanium, it raises the power output while lowering operating temperatures. In 1954, Silicon becomes born in the transistor industry when Texas Instruments produces the first commercial silicon transistor. Silicon becomes responsible for enabling the miniaturization of electronics!

Today, most transistors, integrated circuits, memory chips and even Solar Cells are still made using Silicon in the form of wafer slices that are sawn from a grown silicon ingot.

Silicon is commercially prepared by the reaction of high-purity silica with wood, charcoal, and coal, in an electrically heated arc furnace using carbon electrodes. At temperatures over 1,900 °C (3,450 °F), the carbon reduces the silica to silicon.

Silicon Wafer Sizes

Silicon ingots and wafers in various sizes

The Industry standard wafer size is currently 300mm (12 inch) in diameter.

A consortium of semiconductor companies including Intel, Samsung & TSMC are currently working on the development of the industry's next generation of wafers which will increase their size to 450mm (18 inch) diameter.

YEAR       DIAMETER INCHES / MM                                      THICKNESS

1960:    0.9 inch    (23mm)
1960:    1 inch (25mm)
1963:       1.1 inch      (28mm)
1971:     2 inch         (50 mm)    Thickness 275 µm
1972:       3 inch     (75 mm)    Thickness 375 µm
1976:       4 inch       (100 mm)    Thickness 525 µm
1982:       5 inch (120, 125 & 130 mm)     Thickness 625 µm
1988:       6 inch       (150mm)    Thickness 675 µm
1990:       8 inch    (200mm) Thickness 725 µm
1997: 12 inch    (300mm)    Thickness 775 µm
????:       18 inch       (450 mm)    Thickness 925 µm (expected)