Chip Manufacturing · Topic 5 of 16
0%
Deposition
Adding thin films of conductors, insulators, and semiconductors layer by layer.
What you’ll learn
- CVD, PVD, and ALD
- Why film control matters
- Typical deposited materials
Why it matters
Chips are built up from dozens of precisely deposited thin films.
Explanation
Deposition adds material onto the wafer. Chemical vapour deposition (CVD) grows films from reactive gases; physical vapour deposition (PVD/sputtering) knocks atoms from a target onto the wafer; atomic layer deposition (ALD) builds films one atomic layer at a time for ultimate control.
Films must be uniform, conformal, and defect-free across the wafer.
Visual explanation
Key terminology
- CVD
- Chemical vapour deposition.
- PVD
- Physical vapour deposition (sputtering/evaporation).
- ALD
- Atomic layer deposition — one monolayer per cycle.
Example
Common mistakes
Watch out for:
- Treating all deposition as equivalent — each method has different conformality and speed.
Real-world application
Advanced logic uses ALD extensively for the thinnest, most critical films.
Explore related concepts
Continue learning
Deposition
Up next
Photoresist
Chip Manufacturing
A light-sensitive coating that records the pattern to be etched.
Continue learning →