notoriousformula
11-02-2003, 10:16 AM
here is an interesting read: Making Microprocessors.
To see a World in a grain of sand, And Heaven in a wild flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. - William Blake. (Hey! I remember that from Lara Croft movie :) )
How firms like Intel or AMD turn lumps of rock into "the brains of a computer"?
A top line factory (fabrication plant or fab for short) is estimated to cost around $2 billion or more to set up, and the equipment used in such fabs also requires vast capital investments. Firms like Intel are faced with repeatedly making large investments in new fabs without being absolutely certain that take up of new microprocessors will pay for them.
Every fule no that CPUs are based on the element silicon (Si), an element which the most abundant in the earth's crust and which is found in oxides such as quartz, sand, flint and the like.
There are a few specialist firms – such as Wacker Siltronic which take rocks of quartz, melt them using electric arc furnaces, distil them, and then create 99.9999 pure silicon grade rods.
Read on HERE (http://theinquirer.net/?article=12453)
To see a World in a grain of sand, And Heaven in a wild flower, Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. - William Blake. (Hey! I remember that from Lara Croft movie :) )
How firms like Intel or AMD turn lumps of rock into "the brains of a computer"?
A top line factory (fabrication plant or fab for short) is estimated to cost around $2 billion or more to set up, and the equipment used in such fabs also requires vast capital investments. Firms like Intel are faced with repeatedly making large investments in new fabs without being absolutely certain that take up of new microprocessors will pay for them.
Every fule no that CPUs are based on the element silicon (Si), an element which the most abundant in the earth's crust and which is found in oxides such as quartz, sand, flint and the like.
There are a few specialist firms – such as Wacker Siltronic which take rocks of quartz, melt them using electric arc furnaces, distil them, and then create 99.9999 pure silicon grade rods.
Read on HERE (http://theinquirer.net/?article=12453)