Eight Major Steps to Semiconductor Fabrication, Part 7: The Metal Interconnect

June 3, 2015

In the last part of our series, we went over the thin-film process in which a semiconductor chip gets its electrical properties. But we need to ensure that these electronic elements are well-connected and “powered” so that the appropriate signals can reach where they need to. This is achieved during the metal interconnect process, which we will discuss in this part of our semiconductor series.

A semiconductor, as you’ve learned before, is a device that can shift between a conductor and a nonconductor, hence its name. In other words, it can allow electricity to flow, or keep it from flowing, whenever necessary.

In order for a TV to turn on, what must be done? It needs to be plugged into a power outlet, of course. The same goes for semiconductors, which is where the metal interconnect process comes into play.