SEMATECH Dictionary of Semiconductor Terms

A-Am | An-Az | B | C-Ch | Ci-Com | Con-Cz | D-De | Df-Dz | E-En | Eo-Ez | F-Fl
Fm-Fz | G | H | I | J-K | L | M-Mes | Met-Mz | N | O | P-Ph | Pi-Pq | Pr-Pz | Q | R
S-Se | Sh-So | Sp-Sta | Ste-Sz | T-Th | Ti-Tz | U-V | W-Z

"Df - Dz"

DFT		see design for test.
DI		see deionization or dielectric isolation.
D/I		abbreviation for develop inspect. See linewidth, PR.
diameter n		of a semiconductor wafer, the linear dimension across the surface of a circular wafer that contains the wafer center and excludes flats or other peripheral fiduciary geometries. [ASTM F1241]
diamond anvil n		a tool used to compress soft polymers and powders into thin films between two infrared transparent diamond windows. [SEMATECH]
diaphragm valve n		a packless valve that incorporates a statically sealed diaphragm with which to isolate the controlled medium from the atmosphere. [SEMI International Standards 1990, Vol. 1, Glossary]
diborane (B₂H₆) n		a colorless, volatile, toxic, and pyrophoric gas often used as a source of boron for the doping of silicon. [SEMATECH]
dichloromethane (CH₂Cl₂) n		a colorless liquid, almost nonflammable and nonexplosive. Also called methylene chloride. [SEMATECH]
dichlorosilane (H₂SiCl₂) (DCS) n		a flammable, corrosive, colorless liquid that hydrolyzes (reacts) in the presence of moisture. It oxidizes readily and rapidly to release hydrogen chloride, and is easily ignited in the presence of air. Dichlorosilane is used in the growth of epitaxial silicon and polycrystalline silicon and in the chemical vapor deposition of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. [SEMI C3.18-89]
die n (sing or pl) .		a small piece of silicon wafer, bounded by adjacent scribe lines in the horizontal and vertical directions, that contains the complete device being manufactured. [SEMATECH] Also called chip and microchip. Obsolete: bar.
die attach area n		the nominal area designated for die attaching to the package or leadframe. [SEMI G22-86] Contrast effective die attach area and die attach pad.
die attach pad n		the nominal area designated for die attaching to the package or leadframe. Die attach pad is usually applied to leadframes. The term die attach area is usually applied to ceramic packages. [SEMATECH] Also see die.
die attach pad n		the nominal area designated for die attaching to the package or leadframe. Die attach pad is usually applied to leadframes. The term die attach area is usually applied to ceramic packages. [SEMATECH] Also see die.
die attach pad n		the nominal area designated for die attaching to the package or leadframe. Die attach pad is usually applied to leadframes. The term die attach area is usually applied to ceramic packages. [SEMATECH] Also see die.
die bonding (D/B)		an assembly technique that bonds the back side of an integrated circuit die to a substrate, header, or leadframe. [SEMATECH]
dielectric n		1 : a nonconductive material; an insulator. Examples are silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. [SEMATECH] 2 : a material applied to the surface of a ceramic or preformed plastic package to provide functions such as electrical insulation, passivation of underlying metallization, and limitations to solder flow. [SEMI G33-90]
dielectric constant n		that property which determines the electrostatic energy stored per unit volume for unit potential gradient. The numerical value is usually given relative to a vacuum. (Copyright 1993 IEEE. All rights reserved.)
dielectric isolation (DI) n		a nonconductive barrier layer grown or deposited between two adjacent regions on a die to prevent electrical contact between the regions. [SEMATECH] Also see isolation.
dielectric thin films n		insulating films under 10 mm in thickness that are grown either thermally or through a chemical vapor deposition process; their dielectric properties are used to enable proper functioning of semiconductor devices. [SEMATECH]
dielectric void n		the absence of screen-printed ceramic or organic insulating compounds from a designated area. [SEMATECH]
die pad support		see tie bars.
die sort		see wafer sort.
differential pressure n		in mass flow controllers, the difference in absolute pressure between two points of measurement in a system. NOTE-As it applies to a mass flow controller, differential pressure is usually the measured difference in pressures between the gas inlet and outlet fittings of the mass flow controller. [SEMI E28-92]
differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) n		of molding compounds, a technique in which the difference in energy input to a substance and a reference material is measured as a function of temperature while the substance and the reference material are subjected to a controlled temperature program. The method is used to determine the suitability of plastic molding compounds for encapsulating semiconductor devices by measuring, for example, the heat of fusion and the heat of crystallization. [SEMATECH] Also called calorimetry.
diffused layer n		a region of opposite conductivity type formed near the surface of a semiconductor crystal as a result of the introduction of impurities into the silicon crystal by means of solid state diffusion. [ASTM F1241]
diffusion n		a high-temperature process in which desired chemicals (dopants) on a wafer are redistributed within the silicon to form a device component. [SEMATECH]
diffusion bubbler n		a quartz vessel on a diffusion furnace that allows a gas (typically nitrogen) to be channeled through a liquid before it enters a furnace. [SEMATECH]
diffusion furnace n		an oven that uses heat and gas to form layers. For example, a diffusion furnace facilitates the reaction of gases with silicon wafers at temperatures typically greater than 8005C to form silicon dioxide or to diffuse previously deposited dopants into the wafer. [SEMATECH]
diffusion leak		see permeation leak.
diffusion pump n		a vacuum pump that uses a stream of oil vapor to expel gases from the volume being evacuated and to create a high vacuum. [SEMATECH]
diffusion tube n		a cylindrical quartz or silicon carbide tube used in a diffusion furnace to contain the carrier and wafers. [SEMATECH]
diffusion under film		see buried layer.
digital n		a signal used to transmit information that has only discrete levels (usually two) of some parameter (usually voltage). [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors] Contrast analog.
dilute n		in equipment exhaust systems, to reduce the concentration of undesirable elements to acceptable levels. Dilution is a function of flow volume. [SEMI S6-93]
dimensional matters n		in flat panel display substrates, grinding out or shaping substrate edges by lapping or grinding. [SEMI D9-94]
dimple n		on a semiconductor wafer, a shallow depression in a wafer surface with a concave, spheroidal shape and gently sloping sides. NOTE-Dimples are macroscopic features that are visible to the unaided eye under proper lighting conditions. [ASTM F1241]
DIP		see dual inline package.
direct alignment n		in the surface roughness measurement of flat panel display glass substrates, the mechanical positioning of alignment marks on a flat panel display substrate directly to the reference points on the reticle or reticles. [SEMI D8-94] Contrast with indirect alignment.
direct write n		a method of pattern transfer in which the elements comprising the pattern are formed serially rather than simultaneously through a mask; for example, employing an electron beam to form an integrated circuit process pattern by scanning the beam across the resist layer while turning it on and off. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors]
dirt n		on semiconductor wafers, surface contaminant that cannot be removed by preinspection solvent cleaning. [ASTM F1241]
disabled adj		in SECS communication, describes one of the two major states (enabled and disabled). In the disabled state, SECS communication with a host computer is nonexistent. In the event that the operator switches from enabled to disabled, all communications must cease immediately, outgoing message queues must be flushed, and all outstanding transactions must be terminated. [SEMI E30-94] Also see communicating.
discoloration n		in packaging, the change in color of any plated metallization, gold, silver, aluminum, etc., as detected by the unaided eye after the application of heat to the metallization. The metallization plating may be over base metal, another plated layer, or on refractory metal. [SEMI G8-94]
disconnect shutoff n		a check valve that is opened by installation of the outlet connection. [SEMI F4-90]
discrete adj		1 : represented by a finite number of distinct data elements, such as bits or characters. [SEMATECH] Contrast analog. 2 : pertaining to a device or component that has a single function, such as a relay, resistor, capacitor, diode, or transistor. [SEMATECH] Contrast integrated circuit.
disilane (Si2H6) n		a colorless gas that is pyrophoric (capable of igniting spontaneously when exposed to air), highly flammable, and noncorrosive. Disilane is used in the deposition of thin polysilicon films for solar (photovoltaic) cells. [SEMI C3.34-90]
dislocation n		a line imperfection in a crystal that either forms the boundary between slipped and nonslipped areas of a crystal or that is characterized by a closure failure of the Burger's circuit. [ASTM F1241] Also called line defect.
distinct bores n		in determining surface roughness of gas distribution system components, the total number of individual bores per test component, including inline bores of different sizes and orientations and each leg of a shaped component or fitting. [SEMATECH]
distribution n		a representation of the frequency of occurrence of a characteristic; a way of describing the output of a common-cause system of variation in which individual values are not predictable, but the outcomes as a group form a pattern described in terms of location, spread, and shape. [EIA 557]
DI wafer n		a dielectrically isolated wafer consisting of polysilicon, oxide, and single crystal silicon regions. [SEMI M22-92]
DOE		see design of experiments.
DOF		see depth of focus.
donor n		1 : in a semiconductor, an impurity or imperfection in a semiconductor that donates electrons to the conduction band, leading to electron conduction. [SEMI M1-94 and ASTM F1241] 2 : an element with five electrons in its outer shell used to make n-type semiconductor areas on material. [SEMATECH]
dopant n		in silicon technology, a chemical element incorporated in trace amounts in a semiconductor crystal or epitaxial layer to establish its conductivity type and resistivity. [Adapted from SEMI M9-90 and M8-84]
dopant density n		in an uncompensated extrinsic semiconductor, the number of dopant impurity atoms per unit volume, usually given in atoms/cm3, although the SI unit is atoms/m3. Symbols: ND for donor impurities and NA for acceptor impurities. [ASTM F1241] (The "D" and "A" parts of the abbreviation are written with subscript capital letters.)
doping n		the addition of impurities to a semiconductor to control the electrical resistivity. [SEMI M1-94 and ASTM F1241]
dosimeter n		an instrument used to detect and measure accumulated radiation exposure. [SEMATECH]
dot n		in the dot matrix code marking of silicon wafers, a localized region with a reflectance that differs from that of the surrounding surface. [SEMI T2-93]
dot matrix n		in the dot matrix code marking of silicon wafers, a two-dimensional square array of square cells arranged in contiguous rows and columns. [SEMI T2-93]
dot misalignment n		in the dot matrix code marking of silicon wafers, the distance between the physical center point of a dot and the cell center point. [SEMI T2-93]
downtime (equipment)		see equipment downtime.
drain n		one of the three major parts of a complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistor. [SEMATECH]
drift n		in scanning tunneling microscopy or atomic force microscopy, movement of the sample surface with respect to a microscope tip or cantilever due to a lack of thermal equilibrium. [SEMATECH]
drive-in n		the application of heat to diffuse or distribute a chemical dopant into a wafer. [SEMATECH]
driver n		a software program that allows a computer to control a peripheral with dissimilar electrical and mechanical requirements and to exchange data, including required formatting. [SEMATECH]
droop		see flow curve.
dry etch		see dry plasma etch.
dry plasma etch n		processes that use a mixture of physical and chemical etching that employ reactive ionized gas to remove unprotected portions of a layer of material. [SEMATECH] Also called dry etch and plasma etch. Contrast with reactive ion etch.
DSC		see differential scanning calorimetry.
dual inline package (DIP) n		an integrated circuit package that has two rows of leads extended at right angles from the base and a standard spacing between the leads and rows of leads; usually plastic (PDIP) or ceramic (cerdip). [SEMATECH]
dust n		1 : a discrete particle of material on a wafer or reticle, usually removable by the solvent cleaning method. [SEMATECH] 2 : in flat panel display substrates, a foreign particle that contaminates the glass surface. [SEMI D9-94]
DUV masks		see deep ultraviolet (DUV) masks.
dynamic port n		in automated material movement, a port with associated mechanisms capable of assisting with the physical movement of a transfer object or of interfering with the transfer of an object during the transfer. Such mechanisms may include doors, elevators, and robot arms. A transfer partner using a dynamic port for the transfer may be active or passive, as required. NOTE-The concepts of dynamic and static are associated with a port rather than equipment, as equipment may have both dynamic and static ports. [SEMI E32-94] Contrast with static port.
dynamic test n		in particle contribution testing, a test performed to determine particle contribution as a result of valve actuation. [SEMATECH]

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