In today’s world, nearly every electronic device we use, from smartphones to cars, relies on a key technology: semiconductors. These tiny, yet powerful materials are the unsung heroes behind the screens, circuits, and chips that make our devices work.
But what exactly are semiconductors, and why are they so important? Let’s explore the fundamentals of semiconductors. We’ll uncover how they work, what they’re used in, and why they’re crucial not just globally but also here in Osceola County, where revolutionary semiconductor research is creating opportunities for the future.
What Are Semiconductors?
Semiconductors are materials that have special properties, allowing them to control the flow of electricity. Unlike regular conductors (like copper) that let electricity flow freely or insulators (like rubber) that block it, semiconductors can control the flow of electricity under certain conditions. This unique ability, amplified by advanced packaging techniques, makes them the backbone of modern electronics, enabling everything from computers to smartphones.
How Do Semiconductors Work?
Think of semiconductors as the brains of your electronic devices. They are made from materials like silicon, which can be modified to either allow or block the flow of electricity. By carefully controlling these properties, semiconductors can turn electrical signals on and off, process information, and even store data. This switching ability is what makes semiconductors essential in circuits, powering the devices we use every day.
What’s the Difference Between Semiconductors and Chips?
Although the terms ‘semiconductors’ and ‘chips’ are often used interchangeably, they refer to different things. Semiconductors are materials—like silicon—that can conduct electricity under certain conditions.
Chips, on the other hand, are tiny pieces of technology that contain semiconductor material. These chips, also known as integrated circuits, are where the action happens—they are packed with thousands or even millions of tiny transistors that perform calculations and process data.
In short, semiconductors are the materials, and chips are the finished products that harness the power of semiconductors to run your devices.
What Are Semiconductors Used In?
Semiconductors are found in almost every electronic device you can think of, even the one you are reading this page on. They are inside your smartphone, enabling it to connect to the internet, take photos, and run apps. They are in your car, controlling everything from the engine to the entertainment system. Medical devices, home appliances, and even renewable energy systems like solar panels rely on semiconductors to function. Without semiconductors, our modern world would look very different.
How Semiconductors Are Made: Inside Semiconductor Fabrication Plants
Making semiconductors is a complex process that requires high precision and can take several weeks to complete. It all begins with a thin, round slice of pure silicon, also called a wafer. This wafer serves as the foundation for semiconductor devices.
The process starts by using ultraviolet light to create detailed patterns on the wafer’s surface—a step known as photolithography. Next, specific areas of the wafer are etched away, almost like carving tiny pathways. After that, the wafer is exposed to certain chemicals in a process called doping, which changes its electrical properties. Finally, multiple layers of materials are carefully added, one on top of the other, to build up the circuits.
Advanced packaging can then take semiconductor manufacturing to the next level. Traditional packaging methods are like building a single-story structure with components operating independently. Advanced packaging, however, is more like constructing interconnected skyscrapers with bridges and tunnels, allowing multiple components to work together. This approach enhances chip performance, reduces size, and optimizes power consumption to meet the demands of modern technology.
By the time the process is complete, the wafer may have undergone hundreds of steps over several weeks, resulting in the sophisticated semiconductor chips that power our modern devices.
The Role of Cleanrooms in Semiconductor Manufacturing
Cleanrooms are designated rooms in the semiconductor industry where the highest standards of cleanliness are maintained to avoid contamination. Even the smallest dust particle or stray hair can ruin a semiconductor chip, rendering it useless.
To put this into perspective, people can lose an average of 50 to 100 strands of hair a day, with a single human hair being around 50,000 nanometers wide. In comparison, some semiconductor features are as small as 5 nanometers. This highlights how, without stringent contamination controls, the manufacturing process could be easily compromised.
In a cleanroom, the air is continuously filtered to remove particles, and strict protocols are in place to ensure that workers and materials do not introduce any contaminants. Workers wear special suits, known as “bunny suits,” that cover them from head to toe, including face masks, gloves, and goggles. Suits like these are extremely important in minimizing the risk of contamination. Although these measures may seem extreme, they ensure that each semiconductor chip functions perfectly.
Why Are Semiconductors Important?
Semiconductors are essential because they power the technology that makes our devices smaller, faster, and more efficient. As technology advances, the need for better semiconductors grows, driving innovation in everything from smartphones to medical equipment. This has a big impact on the global economy and boosts local communities like Osceola County, where cutting-edge research is creating jobs at NeoCity.
Beyond their role in technology, semiconductors are important for national security and global competitiveness. Countries that lead in semiconductor technology and advanced packaging have a strong advantage in the world market because they can produce the parts required in the most advanced electronics.
By making semiconductors in the United States, we reduce our dependence on other countries so critical systems—like those used in defense and communications—are secure and reliable. NeoCity’s work in Osceola County is shaping local growth while keeping our country safe and competitive globally.
7 Fun Facts About Semiconductors
Smaller but Mightier
Semiconductors are often tinier than a grain of sand, yet they make devices faster and more efficient without taking up much space.
From Science Fiction to Reality
Once a concept out of science fiction, semiconductors are now a reality, powering everything from smartphones to space exploration.
Everyone Gets a Chip
Each year, the semiconductor industry produces about 1 trillion chips—enough to give every person on Earth over 100 chips!
A Tower of Transistors
If you were to stack the transistors in a single semiconductor chip on top of each other, the stack would be taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza.
From Sand to Silicon
The semiconductor begins with sand—about 60,000 pounds of it are needed to produce a single ton of pure silicon, which is then transformed into the wafers that form the foundation of semiconductor chips.
Layers Upon Layers
Imagine stacking 150 sheets of paper, each one representing a different layer inside a modern semiconductor chip. These layers work together in harmony to enable the devices we depend on every day.
Beyond Electronics
Advanced packaging is used in more than just phones and computers. It’s also in medical devices, renewable energy systems, and autonomous vehicles.
Made in Florida: Osceola County’s Role in the Semiconductor Revolution
Right here in Osceola County, we’re not just keeping up with the future—we’re creating it. NeoCity is a hub for semiconductor innovation, where scientists and engineers are bringing forth semiconductor fabrication and advanced packaging solutions that will shape tomorrow.
These advancements are putting Osceola County on the map, creating new jobs, and driving economic growth in our community. Advanced packaging developed at NeoCity supports industries from aerospace to healthcare, proving that innovation in our backyard is fueling progress worldwide.