An Introduction to Semiconductors and Intel
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The document provides a comprehensive overview of semiconductors, explaining their significance in modern technology and detailing Intel's role in the semiconductor industry. Key topics include the manufacturing process, process nodes, packaging techniques, and Intel's historical milestones and investments. It emphasizes the complexity and global nature of semiconductor production, along with the essential function of semiconductors in various electronic devices.
An Introduction to Semiconductors and Intel
- 2. Semiconductors and Intel 2 2 Table of contents What is a semiconductor? GO Semiconductors are everywhere GO Why are semiconductors so important? GO The exponential computer GO How chips are made GO Foundries, Intel and IDM 2.0 GO Moore’s Law and what it means GO Why are process nodes important? GO Packaging: protect, connect and re-architect GO Process versus microarchitecture GO Major processor architectures GO Modern chips require a lot of software GO The high cost of manufacturing GO Semiconductors take a global path to production GO Intel’s history GO Intel invests in future technology GO Global patent portfolio GO Intel invests across an unmatched span of markets GO Global footprint GO Glossary GO Semiconductors and Intel
- 3. Semiconductors and Intel 3 Whatisasemiconductor? Semiconductors are essential for the operation of all modern electronic devices Did you know? Semiconductors are the critical ingredient of computer chips, which are built for many functions. This motherboard is showing at least eight of them (the CPU, chipset, memory, storage, BIOS, and input/output chips). Functions of semiconductors might include the amplification of signals, switching and energy conversion. The semiconductor The term “semiconductor” refers to a material that has electrical conductivity greater than an “insulator” but less than a “conductor.” However, it more commonly refers to an integrated circuit (IC) or computer chip. The most common semiconductor material is silicon, the main ingredient of computer chips. Semiconductor Insulator Conductor Semiconductors
- 4. Semiconductors and Intel 4 Digital cameras Radios Scanners Smartphones Televisions Watches/clocks Semiconductorsare everywhere Computers/laptops XPUs Diodes Microcontrollers RF Transmitters Wireless HD video ATMs Smoke detectors Internet Refrigerators Coffee makers Video games Washing machines Blood-pressure sensors Hearing aids MRIs Pacemakers Ultrasound modules Wireless patient monitors A/C temp sensors Efficient logistics systems LED light bulbs Monitoring systems Security devices Smart home systems Solar panels Advanced driver assistance systems Diagnostic equipment Mapping/Sensing Navigation systems 1. http://www.semismatter.com/ Quick tip Semiconductors are the foundation of modern technology. Billions of connected devices on the planet would not function without them. Semiconductors are probably the most complex products manufactured in the world, yet they’re often as small as a fingernail. They are packed with billions of microscopic switches, called “transistors,” that make them work. Computing Consumer/IoT Healthcare Smart Energy Communications Transportation
- 5. Semiconductors and Intel 5 The average American adult spends over 12 hours a day on electronics, such as computers, mobile devices, TVs and cars. Those devices are all powered by semiconductors, which improve our lives, increase productivity and drive economic growth. Whyaresemiconductors soimportant? $10-15B The approximate cost to build a newsemiconductor factory or “fab” >6 Nearly the size of the world’s largest semiconductor fab 12K The number of construction, high-tech & support jobs a semiconductor fab typically creates +$440B 2020 revenue fromthe global semiconductor industry AMERICAN FOOTBALL FIELDS Quick tip Computing Consumer/IoT Healthcare Smart Energy Communications Transportation
- 6. Semiconductors and Intel 6 Theexponentialcomputer From a few in the world to many per person 1960s Mainframe Era 1 computer 1000s of users 1980s Desktop/PC Era 1 computer 1 user 2000s Mobility Era Several computers 1 user 2020s Ubiquity Era 1000s of computers 1 user
- 7. Semiconductors and Intel 7 Howchipsaremade A computer chip’s journey begins with research Engineers and scientists from companies and academia develop revolutionary processing and packaging technologies 1 Mask Ops Engineers take the digital blueprints and convert theminto glass templates, called masks, which are used in fabrication for photolithography, or “printing with light.” 2 Design Chip architects, logic designers and circuit designers create computerized drawings (blueprints). 3 Fabrication Technicians in bunny suits use a multitude of machines to create layers of circuits and devices on silicon wafers. Each wafer will contain hundreds of chips. 4 Die & Sort Finished wafers get cut into dies (or computer chips) and placed on reels. 5 Technicians test each die one last time, then mount thembetween a heat spreader and a substrate to forma sleek, enclosed package. 6 Warehousing Logistics professionals ship out chips to customers or global distribution hubs to be sent to manufacturers or boxed up for retail. Test & Assembly
- 8. Semiconductors and Intel 8 8 Foundries, Intel and IDM 2.0 external foundries Typically, semiconductor manufacturers are either: • Integrated device manufacturers (IDM) that design, build and sell their own chips; or • Foundries that build chips for "fabless" customers that design, brand and sell them Intel is different. Its IDM 2.0 strategy combines: • Intel’s internal factory network to build most of its products • The use of external foundries for flexibility, scale and cost • Intel Foundry Services, a new group dedicated to manufacturing for customers Intel FoundryServices internal factorynetwork IDM 2.0
- 9. Semiconductors and Intel 9 9 Intel’s first microprocessor, the 4004, had 2,300 transistors in 1971. Today’s have billions. Every process “node” (e.g., 22nm, 14 nm, Intel 7, Intel 4) means improvements in power, performance, area and/or other features. Quick tip Moore’s Law was an observation of increasing economic efficiency In 1965, Gordon Moore made what he later called “a wild extrapolation of very little data” that the number of components per integrated circuit would keep doubling annually (revised later to biannually). Moore’s Law and what it means Intel co-founder Gordon Moore
- 10. Semiconductors and Intel 10 Quick tip Whyareprocessnodesimportant? The result of each new process node can include: Denser components Existing functional blocks (IPs) use less silicon area Many options for better chips: • Multiply IPs (more throughput) • Add new IPs (new features and capabilities) • A smaller overall chip (lower cost) More power-efficient and quicker operation, and/or More dynamic range (efficient at idle, faster at full throttle) 1 2 3 A note on node names: Intel introduced a simple and clear naming structure for its process nodes in 2021, one that no longer refers to nanometers. New names include Intel 7, Intel 4, Intel 3, and Intel 20A, ushering in the angstrom era of semiconductors.
- 11. Semiconductors and Intel 11 11 The package Packaging:protect, connectandre-architect This Intel processor shows the silicon die at center, which would be attached to the substrate (left) and covered with a heatspreader (right). The combined enclosure is called the “package.” It connects micron- sized features on the die to millimeter-sized features on a computer’s motherboard, protects the die from contaminants, cools it, powers it, and increasingly, allows multiple die to be combined in novel ways.
- 12. Semiconductors and Intel 12 12 Packaging:protect, connectandre-architect New packaging technologies allow the combination of myriad die into “systems in packages,” enabling more design and performance flexibility — leading to entirely new kinds of chips, like the powerful Ponte Vecchio GPU. Intel is a world leader in advanced packaging development and manufacturing. Quick tip Intel EMIB very efficiently connects two die sitting side-by-side. Intel’s Foveros technology allows vertical stacking of processor die for the first time. Advanced packaging enables new era of chip design
- 13. Semiconductors and Intel 13 Quick tip Processversusmicroarchitecture Think of a chip as a multistory urban building Microarchitectures are blueprints; they convey what to build • A microarchitecture represents a specific design, a single, unique building. An architecture comprises a family of buildings based on a unifying theme. • Example: Willow Cove and Goldmont are CPU microarchitectures; both use Intel Architecture. Process technologies are construction techniques • How you take raw materials and create a building. • Each new node is a refinement in process technology — new and better ways to build new and better buildings. Chip as tiny skyscraper: A common chip the size of your smallest fingernail is only around 1 millimeter thick but contains roughly 30 different layers of components and wires (called interconnects) that make up its complex circuitry.
- 14. Semiconductors and Intel 14 Quick tip CPU architectures X86: mobile device to supercomputer cores from Intel and AMD ARM: a large span of processors for license or customization RISC-V: open-source processor design Majorprocessorarchitectures What Intel defines as XPUs CPU Central processing unit (the brain of the computer) What do they do: Run the computer and all its programs Major suppliers: Intel, AMD, ARM (Apple, Qualcomm, Samsung) GPU Graphics processing unit What do they do: Make images; accelerate highly parallel operations Major suppliers: Intel, AMD, Nvidia, ARM, Imagination FPGA Field-programmable gate array; software-configurable circuits What do they do: Acceleration, communications, circuit design, applications that change often Major suppliers: Intel, Xilinx ASIC Application-specific integrated circuit What do they do: Do one thing, very quickly: deep learning, encryption, network processing Major suppliers: Many and varied (including Intel)
- 15. Semiconductors and Intel 15 Modernchipsrequirealotofsoftware “For every order of magnitude performance potential from new hardware architecture, there is often more than 2 orders of magnitude unlocked by software.” – Raja Koduri, Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics (AXG) Group at Intel Software supplied by Intel for developers and customers Developer tools Middleware frameworks and runtimes Low-level libraries Virtualization/orchestration Operating system Drivers Firmware IP & BIOS Applications Services & solutions Hardware: CPU/GPU/AI/FPGA
- 16. Semiconductors and Intel 16 Thehighcostofmanufacturingdrivesindustryconsolidation Staying on the leading edge became unaffordable for all but the three largest companies Cost to build a leading-edge fab Cypress TI Freescale IBM AMD Intel Fujitsu Sharp Sony Infineon Toshiba SMIC Renesas Panasonic UMC ST-M Samsung TSMC Panasonic UMC ST-M IBM GloFo Intel Samsung TSMC IBM GloFo Intel Samsung TSMC Intel Samsung TSMC 2004-06 (90nm) 2010-12 (32/28nm) 2012-14 (22/20/14nm) 2017-20 (10/7nm) $1B $6B $10-15B 2000 2010 2020
- 17. Semiconductors and Intel 17 Semiconductorstakeaglobal pathtoproduction And a lot of partnership As the complexity and number of components in leading-edge chips have increased, so has the amount of time it takes to make them — in some cases more than 3 months. Quick tip 1 6 2 3 Fab wafer sorted, cut into die 7 4 5 JAPAN TO USA CHINA TO USA USA TO MALAYSIA SINGAPORE TO CHINA Silicon ingots cut into wafers Chip integrated into consumer good by end product manufacturer Bare wafer into fab wafer Consumer buys end product Die are assembled, packaged, tested Final product shipped for inventory Conceptual map flow: (for illustrative purposes only) Front-end equipment Front-end materials Back end Design Other partners Process equipment Process control Materials Silicon Assembly equipment Test equipment Substrates EDA/IP Contract workers Memory Factory construction Intel partners with thousands of innovative companies around the world to bring semiconductors to market, from raw materials to logistics and construction, including:
- 18. Semiconductors and Intel 18 Intel’shistoryin4fasteras The definitive Silicon Valley startup A logical exit from memory One billion computers XPUs and a new era of data 1968: Intel founded with $3M 1969: First product, first customer 1971: Microprocessor invented 1976: Microcontroller invented 1981: IBM puts Intel 8088 in first PC 1983: Intel reaches $1B revenue 1984: First CHMOS DRAM, up to 64K 1968- 1984 1985- 1995 1996- 2014 2015- 1985: Intel exits DRAM, debuts 386 processor 1988: Intel enters flash memory 1991: Intel Inside logos appear worldwide; Intel breaks supercomputing record 1992: Intel becomes world’s largest semiconductor company 1993: Pentium processor 1995: Pentium Pro launched for servers 1997: Iconic bunny people debut in ads 1998: Intel Celeron debuts 2000: Pentium 4; revenue surpasses $30B 2001: First Xeon chips for servers 2002: Hyperthreading introduced 2003: Intel Centrino makes Wi-Fi common; Intel ships billionth processor 2005: Multicore processors 2008: Intel Atom processor 2011: First 3-D transistor; Thunderbolt introduced 2013: Intel NUC mini PCs debut 2015: $300M diversity and inclusion initiative; Intel acquires Altera 2016: Silicon photonics ship 2017: Intel acquires Mobileye; first product with EMIB packaging ships 2018: Employees contribute 1.5M volunteer hours for 50th anniversary; revenue crosses $70B 2020: Xe discrete graphics; first 3-D stacked processor 2021: Intel introduces IDM 2.0
- 19. Semiconductors and Intel 19 19 Quick tip Intel invests in research and development primarily for future process technologies and the PC and data- centric businesses, while also making capital investments in manufacturing and wafer capacity. Intel invests in future technology and factories to build it 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 $27.8 $29.6 $28.7 $24.8 $22.3 R&D Logic capital investment Memory capital investment R&D and capital investments (in billions) In the U.S., only the biotech and pharma industry spends more on R&D as a percent of sales than the semiconductor industry.
- 20. Semiconductors and Intel 20 20 Intel owns nearly 70,000 active patents worldwide Intel patents by region Intel’s first patent — “Resistor for Integrated Circuit,” #3,631,313 — was granted to Gordon Moore on Dec. 28, 1971. Quick tip Asia 28% Europe 20% Rest of World 1% U.S. 51% Asia Europe Rest of World U.S.
- 21. Semiconductors and Intel 21 21 Intel invents across an unmatched span of technologies Assisted and Automated Driving Architecture Interconnect Memory Process Security Software Other Patents by topic
- 22. Semiconductors and Intel 22 Intel’sglobalmanufacturingfootprint Wafer fabs Assembly and test Intel presence
- 23. Semiconductors and Intel 23 Glossary Assembly/test: The second half of chip manufacturing, where bare silicon die are encased in a protective package and undergo final inspection; also refers to factories dedicated to this function. Chip: A tiny, thin square or rectangle that contains integrated electronic circuitry. A chip contains one or more die, which are built in batches on wafers of silicon. Die: A single integrated circuit cut from a wafer after fabrication. Fab: A factory that performs the first half of silicon chip manufacturing (fabrication), where bare silicon wafers undergo weeks of processing to become integrated circuits. Foundry: A silicon fabrication business (TSMC, Global Foundries) that offers manufacturing as a service to outside chip design companies, which are referred to as “fabless semiconductor companies” (AMD, Nvidia); contrasts with an IDM (Intel, Samsung). Integrated circuit: A semiconductor device that includes many transistors and electrical circuits, designed to perform one or many functions. Integrated device manufacturer or IDM: Company that both designs and manufactures silicon chips, such as Intel and Samsung. Intellectual property or IP: A functional unit of an integrated circuit, such as CPU cores, graphics and media, memory and AI. Package: A protective enclosure around one or many silicon die that includes connectors to the computer. Semiconductor: A material (such as silicon) that can be altered to conduct electrical current or block its passage; common shorthand for computer chips and the industry. Transistor: A type of switch that controls the flow of electricity. A chip can contain millions or billions of transistors. Wafer: A round slice of purified silicon less than 1 mm thick, up to 12 inches or 300 mm in diameter, upon which integrated circuits are implanted and etched and later sliced into individual die.
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