Inside a Chip

The wafer is sliced from an ingot that is grown in a vacuum furnace, ground to a precise diameter and flatted. After slicing, the wafer may be heated and (or) coated to suit final use. Then, miniature, multi-layered devices are constructed on its face, and the wafer is diced into tiny pieces, each containing identical circuitry. Each piece becomes the heart of a semiconductor or the chip.