Intel 32nm second-generation High-k metal gate silicon technology

One of the biggest advances in fundamental transistor design. Intel's innovative combination of metal gates and High-k gate dielectrics reduces electrical current leakage as transistors become ever smaller.

Binary

Having two parts. The binary number system that computers use is composed of the digits 0 and 1.

Channel

The region under the gate of a transistor where current flows when the transistor is in the "on" state.

Chip

A tiny, thin square or rectangle that contains integrated electronic circuitry. Die are built in batches on wafers of silicon. A chip is a packaged die. See also "Microprocessor."

Circuit

A network of transistors interconnected by wires in a specific configuration to perform a function.

Cleanroom

The ultra-clean room where chips are fabricated. The air in a cleanroom is thousands of times cleaner than that in a typical hospital operating room.

Computer-aided design (CAD)

Computerized workstations and software that Intel uses to design integrated circuits.

Die

Alternate name for a chip, usually before it is packaged. See also "Chip."

Doping

A wafer fabrication process in which exposed areas of silicon are bombarded with chemical impurities to alter the way the silicon in those regions conducts electricity.

Drain

A highly doped region adjacent to a transistor's current-carrying channel that transports electrons from the transistor to the next circuit element or conductor.

Embedded system

A computer system that is embedded or part of a complete system. Embedded systems are usually dedicated to performing one or a few actions. They are found in medical and telecommunications equipment as well as many items that you use every day, such as mobile phones and microwaves.

Etching

The removal of selected portions of materials to define patterned layers on chips.

Fab

A shortened term for "fabrication facility," where Intel manufactures silicon chips.

Fabrication

The process of making chips.

Front-opening unified pod (FOUP)

A container that holds and carries wafers as part of an automated system in a fab.

Gate

The input control region of a transistor where a negative or positive charge is applied.

Gate dielectric

A thin layer underneath the gate that isolates the gate from the channel.

High-k material

A material that can replace silicon dioxide as a gate dielectric. It has good insulating properties and creates a high field effect between the gate and channel. Both are desirable properties for high-performance transistors. Also, because High-k materials can be thicker than silicon dioxide while retaining the same desirable properties, they greatly reduce current leakage.

Mask

A stencil-like pattern used during fabrication to "print" layered circuit patterns on a wafer.

Microprocessor

The "brain" of a computer. Multiple microprocessors working together are the "hearts" of servers, communications products, and other digital devices. See also "Chip."

Multi-core processor

A chip with two or more processing cores or "brains."

Nanometer

One billionth of a meter.

Oxide

An insulating layer that is formed on a wafer during chip fabrication. Silicon dioxide is one example.

Passivation

The process of coating a silicon chip with an oxide layer to help protect it from contamination and increase its electrical stability.

Photolithography

The process of creating a specific pattern of material on a silicon wafer by using ultraviolet light and a mask to define the desired pattern.

Photoresist

A substance that becomes soluble when exposed to ultraviolet light. Analogous to photographic film, it is sensitive to ultraviolet light but is also resistant to certain etching chemicals. Used to help define circuit patterns during chip fabrication.

Polysilicon

A shortened term for "polycrystalline silicon," or silicon made up of many crystals. This conductive material is used as an interconnect layer on a chip, and as the gates of transistors.

Semiconductor

A material (such as silicon) that can be altered to conduct electrical current or block its passage.

Silicon

The principal ingredient in common beach sand and the element used to make the wafers upon which chips are fabricated. It is a natural semiconductor and is the most common element on earth after oxygen.

Silicon ingot

A cylinder formed of 99.9999% pure silicon.

Source

The region of a transistor where electrons move into the channel.

System on a chip (SoC)

The integration of a complete set of system components into a single chip.

Transistor

A type of switch that controls the flow of electricity. A chip can contain millions or billions of transistors.

Wafer

A thin silicon disc sliced from a cylindrical crystal ingot. Used as the base material for building integrated circuits.

Wafer sort

An electrical test procedure that identifies the chips on a wafer that are not fully functional.