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

"Met - Mz "

metal n		in cofired ceramic packages, an absence of refractory metallization, braze, or plating material from a designated area greater than 0.075 mm (0.003 in) in diameter. [SEMI G50-89]
metallization n		1 : on ceramic package bases, screen printed metals, such as refractory metals; for example, tungsten. [SEMATECH] Also see refractory metallization. 2 : electrolytic or electroless plated metals; for example, nickel and gold, on base metals such as leadframes, or on top of refractory metallizations. [SEMATECH] 3 : on cerdip or cerpack leadframes, evaporated or clad metals; for example, aluminum. [SEMATECH] 4 : the deposition of a thin film of conductive metal onto a wafer or substrate by use of either chemical or physical vapor deposition (for example, sputtering). [SEMATECH]
metallization void n		the absence of a clad, evaporated, plated, or screen printed metal layer or braze from a designated area. [SEMI G58-94] Also called metal void.
metal on glass mask		see mask, metal on glass.
metal void		see metallization void.
metastasis n		the process by which tumor cells are spread to distant parts of the body. [SEMATECH]
metering valve n		a valve designed to provide varying gas flow rates over a range of settings. [SEMI International Standards 1990, Vol. 1, Glossary]
methane (CH₄) equivalent n		in testing components for contaminant contribution to gas distribution systems, that concentration of methane that causes the same instrument response as the sample. [SEMATECH]
methanol (CH₃OH) n		a colorless, poisonous, and flammable liquid obtained by the destructive distillation of wood. [SEMATECH] Also called methyl alcohol or wood alcohol.
method n		in object-oriented programming, a procedure that is associated with a class. A method is invoked in response to a message. [SEMATECH]
methods model n		in CIM, a model that identifies the methods or allowable operations on classes of objects. [SEMATECH]
methods modeling n		in CIM, a step of an object-oriented analysis or design technique used to describe the system's work to be performed based on a certain set of operations allowed on classes of objects. [SEMATECH]
methyl alcohol		see methanol.
methylene chloride		see dichloromethane.
methyl ethyl ketone (CH₃COCH₂CH₃) n		a colorless liquid that is water soluble and can be mixed with oil. [SEMI C1.11-90]
metrics, design n		measures for the quality, performance, or productivity of the design process and its component tools. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors]
metrology n		the science of measurement to ascertain dimensions, quantity, or capacity; the techniques and procedures for using sensors and measurement equipment to determine physical and electrical properties in wafer processing. [SEMATECH]
MFC		see mass flow controller.
MFM		see mass flow meter.
MHI		see material hazard index.
micro ()		a prefix that means one millionth (). [SEMATECH]
micromove		in cluster tools, an atomic motion of the end effector described by an ordered pair of position reference points, one of which is the starting point of the motion and the other the end point of the motion. [SEMATECH] t
microchip		see die.
Microelectronics Manufacturing Science and Technology (MMST) n		a joint development program model sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), and Texas Instruments to design, develop, and demonstrate next-generation flexible microelectronic fabrication facilities. [SEMATECH]
microenvironment n		ambient conditions in a very small region. [SEMATECH]
micro level n		in automated material movement, the level of material movement in which the transfer partners interact peer-to-peer to synchronize the detailed mechanical steps of a material transfer. [Adapted from SEMI E32-94]
micrometer (m) n		a metric unit of linear measure that equals 1/1,000,000 meter ( m), or 10,000 angstroms. The diameter of a human hair is approximately 75 micrometers. [SEMATECH] Also called micron.
micron n		See micrometer.
micropatterning n		a category for wafer manufacturing processes that transfers a circuit pattern onto a wafer. [SEMATECH]
microprocessor (P) n		an integrated circuit that contains the basic arithmetic, logic, and control circuitry required for processing; often consists of one very large-scale integrated circuit. [SEMATECH]
microroughness (IIRMS) n		1 : surface roughness components with spacing between irregularities (spatial wavelength) less than about 100 micrometers. [ASTM F1241] (The "RMS" part of the abbreviation is written with subscript capital letters.)
microscope n		an instrument in which magnifying lenses present an enlarged image of a very small object so that it can be seen by the naked eye. [SEMATECH]
microscope field-of-view n		that area observed with a particular set of optics. [ASTM F1241]
microscratch n		a scratch that is not visible to the unaided eye under fluorescent (diffuse) illumination but is visible to the unaided eye under incandescent (high intensity) illumination. [ASTM F1241] Contrast macroscratch.
microsecond ( s) n		one millionth of a second ( second). [SEMATECH]
microtwin		see twinned crystal and pyramid.
Mid-Atlantic Operating Committee n		an association of semiconductor industry suppliers located in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, and the District of Colombia that pursues improvements in its members' business quality practices. [SEMATECH]
mil n		a unit of measure that equals one-thousandth of an inch. [SEMATECH]
Miller indices n		in a crystallographic plane, the smallest integers proportional to the reciprocals of the intercepts of the plane on the three crystal axes of unit length. [ASTM 1241 and SEMI M1-94]Also called crystal indices.
milligauss (mG) n		a unit of magnetic flux density equal to one-thousandth of a gauss. [SEMATECH]
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) n		a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor that devises and promulgates mandatory safety and health in mines. [SEMATECH]
minienvironment n		a localized environment created by an enclosure to isolate the product from contamination and people. [SEMI E44-95]
minienvironment input/output n		a means of transferring cassettes or substrates into and out of a minienvironment. [SEMI E44-95]
minifactory n		small-scale production facility. [SEMATECH]
minimum detectable leak rate		see sensitivity.
minimum detection limit (MDL) n		in determining total hydrocarbon, moisture, or oxygen contribution by gas distribution system components, the lowest instrument response above zero detectable that is readable by the instrument and at least 2 times the amplitude of the noise. [SEMATECH]
minimum feature size		see feature size.
minimum flat wire bonding area		see lead flat surface.
minimum pattern n		the minimum line and space pattern and minimum pattern that is separable. [SEMI P21-92]
minimum theoretical cycle time n		the time required to effect a physical change to a wafer, including loading and unloading time, but not queue or transit time. [SEMATECH]
minor flat		see secondary flat.
minority carrier n		a type of charge carrier constituting less than one-half of the total charge -carrier concentration (for example, electrons in p-type material). [SEMI M1-94 and ASTM F1241] Contrast majority carrier.
minority carrier lifetime n		of a homogeneous semiconductor, the average time interval between the generation and recombination of minority carriers. [ASTM F1241]
mirror image mask		see mask, mirror image.
misalignment n		a process defect in which a pattern layer does not overlay properly with previous layers. [SEMATECH]
miscible adj		pertaining to the extent to which liquids or gases can be mixed or blended. [SEMATECH]
mismatch n		in a plastic molded package, the misalignment between the top and bottom cavities in either axis. The misalignment is measured after molding and before trimming and is stated as the difference in the top cavity position relative to the bottom cavity. [SEMI G36-88] Also see offset and overlap.
misstep		see misalignment.
mixed beds n		a physical mixture of anion-exchange material and cation-exchange material. [SEMATECH] Also see anion-exchange resin and cation-exchange resin.
mixed signal n		an integrated circuit that contains both analog and digital circuit elements. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors]
MLM		see multilevel metal.
MMST		see Microelectronics Manufacturing Science and Technology.
mobility () n		of a carrier in a semiconductor, the ensemble average of drift velocity of a charge carrier per unit electric field. The unit customarily used is square centimeter per volt-second. The preferred SI unit is the square meter per volt-second. [ASTM F1241]
mode n		the most frequently occurring value in a group of measurements. [EIA 557]
model n		1 : a representation or simulation for device structure, process equipment, or a management system. 2 : an abstract, graphical representation of the logical essence of something that allows focusing on characteristics of interest, study, or critical perspectives, views, or aspects to gain understanding and insight into a subject in a manner that is isolated from physical constraints. [SEMATECH] 3 : an explicit description of the data, state, and method information required for each process or application. [SEMATECH] 4 : a set of mathematical or logical relationships that describes how a system behaves or should behave. [SEMATECH]
model environment n		in CIM, the development models needed to govern an application. The model environment contains the enterprise reference model through member company specific manufacturing model development models and the generic through specific execution services models that govern the application. [SEMATECH]
model hierarchy n		in CIM, a multilevel set of models used to address the enterprise-, business-, and company-specific problems, applications, and systems relationships. [SEMATECH]
modeling n		the act or process of generating an abstract description of a system to simplify the analysis of the system. The abstract description must be suitable for use with the appropriate analysis tool. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors]
modular dispensing unit (MDU) n		a piece of equipment that filters the chemicals and pumps them in precise amounts to the point of use. [SEMATECH]
modularity n		in CIM, the design of software which partitions the code in (usually small) discrete components with clear interfaces between units and clear partitioning of which units perform which functions. [SEMATECH]
module n		1 : a program unit that is discrete and identifiable with respect to compiling, combining with other units, and loading. For example, the unit may be the input to, or output from, an assembler, compiler, linkage editor, or executive routine. [SEMATECH] 2 : a logically separable part of a program. [SEMATECH] 3 : in modular equipment, an independently operable unit that is part of a tool or system. [SEMI E21-94] 4 : in the calibration of mass flow devices, the number of moles per unit of time flowing in a closed channel. [SEMI E29-93]
molar flow n		in the calibration of mass flow devices, the number of moles per unit of time flowing in a closed channel. [SEMI E29-93]
molding compound n		generally, a thermosetting plastic used to encapsulate semiconductor devices by a transfer molding technique. [SEMATECH] Also see abrasive characteristics, coefficient of thermal expansion, and flash characteristics.
molding preform n		mold compound powder compressed into a cylindrical shape and size with specified diameter, weight, and density. [SEMI G49-93]
molecular migration n		the movement or spread of molecules of a substance in an environment, over a surface, across an interface, or through a material due to electrical, thermal, pressure, or concentration gradients, or to random processes. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors]
molecular weight (mw) n		the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule. [SEMI C3-94]
monitor n		a control program for a computer operating system. [SEMATECH]
monitor wafer		see wafer, test.
monocrystal		see single crystal.
monolithic system n		in CIM, usually large software applications that are designed and coded as a single program, performing all functions and services from within its own structure. These systems are typically complex, difficult to change and maintain, and have tightly coupled database, presentation, and communication services. Changes to any of these require modifications of the source code to be made in many places. [SEMATECH]
Monte Carlo adj		refers to random sampling techniques applied in computer simulations and modeling to obtain approximate solutions in problems for which exact solutions do not exist. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors]
moon crater n		on a semiconductor wafer, surface texture that results when a wafer floats during the initial stages of chemical polishing in a rotating cup etcher. [ASTM F1241]
morphology n		the shape and size of a line, an area, or a volume; the texture or topography of a surface; the habit of a crystal; the distribution of phases in a system (material). Form may mean any of these or it may pertain to structure, so it does not have a specific meaning unless given one. [IEEE]
Motif n		a graphical user interface "look and feel" standard developed by Hewlett Packard and adopted by the Open Software Foundation. [SEMATECH]
motorboat		see comet.
mottled adj		pertaining to the existence on a wafer of material in a window that prevents the window from being properly opened. [SEMATECH]
mound n		on a semiconductor wafer, an irregularly shaped projection on a semiconductor wafer surface with one or more irregularly developed facets. [ASTM F1241] Contrast pyramid. Also see haze.
mouse nip n		a semicircular intrusion into a straight edge of a film or etched pattern on a wafer or reticle. [SEMATECH] Also called mouse bite.
MPX		see multiplexer.
MSDS		see material safety data sheet.
MTBA		see mean time between assists.
MTBF		see mean time between failures.
MTOL		see mean time off line.
MTTR		see mean time to repair.
multiblock message n		in SECS-I, a message sent in more than one block. NOTE-The first block (consisting of a message header and up to 244 bytes of data) is given a block number of one, and the block number is incremented by one for each subsequent block until the entire message is sent. The blocks are sent in order. For compatibility with SECS-I, those SECS-II messages longer than 244 bytes are multiblock messages. In addition, certain SECS-II messages that otherwise meet the single-block length requirements are allowed to be multiblock messages. [SEMI E4-91 and E5-92] Contrast single-block message.
multichip module (MCM) n		a packaging scheme based on interconnecting multiple bare die on a single substrate. [1994 National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors] Also see multichip package.
multichip package n		a package with a number of integrated circuits and interconnects organized through several layers of conductive patterns. Each integrated circuit is separated by an insulator layer and interconnected via holes. [SEMATECH]
multilevel metal (MLM) n		that portion of the manufacturing process of integrated circuits that involves the deposition, patterning, planarization, and dielectric isolation of two or more levels of metal interconnects. [SEMATECH]
multiplexer (MPX) n		a device for combining two or more signals. [SEMATECH]
multiplexing n		the simultaneous transmission of more than one message on a single channel. [SEMATECH]
mutagen n		a chemical or physical agent that induces genetic mutations in the DNA of chromosomes. [SEMATECH]

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