This 45-nm dual-core processor chip contains more than four million transistors, an advancement made possible through innovative manufacturing processes developed by chemical engineers. Courtesy Intel Corporation.
As a society we have skyrocketed out of the Industrial Revolution straight into the Computer Revolution. And it has thoroughly embraced us. Computers are found in just about every aspect of modern life, enabling key technologies in such areas as education, business, industry, and communications. And as our dependence grows, we demand that our electronic devices become smaller, faster, smarter, and cheaper.
Evolution of the semiconductor chip
Semiconductor chips provide the backbone for modern computing systems. They are complex microelectronic circuits composed of a base material with electrical conductivity greater than an insulator but less than a conductor. The typical base material is silicon, although germanium is also used.
Chemical engineers are deeply involved in developing specialized materials and complex chip-manufacturing processes. Their constant quest is for progressively smaller semiconductor chips and computer components that provide ever-increasing speed, greater memory, and broader functionality.
An application of specialized knowledge
In the creation of progressively advanced semiconductor chips and other computer components, chemical engineers apply their expertise in
- Kinetics and thermodynamics in the crystallization of silicon wafers;
- Polymer science in the development of patterned photoresist coatings;
- Heat transfer to maintain desired temperatures and manage heat buildup during the chip-making process; and
- Mass transfer to improve etching of complex semiconductor-chip patterns and the plating of electronic microchannels.
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