Chip Manufacturing · Topic 1 of 16
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Silicon
Purifying sand into electronic-grade silicon — the starting material.
What you’ll learn
- Why silicon is used
- What electronic-grade purity means
- How raw silicon is refined
Why it matters
The whole process begins with silicon of almost unimaginable purity.
Explanation
Silicon is abundant (from sand/quartz), forms a stable oxide, and has a workable bandgap — so it dominates the industry. Raw silicon is refined to 'electronic-grade' purity of about 99.9999999% (nine nines).
Impurities are reduced through chemical purification (e.g. the Siemens process) before crystal growth.
Visual explanation
Key terminology
- Electronic-grade silicon
- Ultra-pure silicon suitable for chips (~9N).
- Polysilicon
- Purified silicon before single-crystal growth.
Example
Common mistakes
Watch out for:
- Assuming purity is 'good enough' at 99.9% — chips need far higher.
Real-world application
Polysilicon supply is a strategic part of the semiconductor supply chain.
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Growing a single crystal of silicon into a large cylindrical ingot.
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