Equipment across nine process areas

Wafer fabrication is a repeating cycle of stacked layers. The pattern is first formed on the photomask, then transferred to the wafer in lithography.

Etch defines the structure, CVD deposits thin films, bake controls the thermal budget, and ion implantation sets doping and electrical behavior.

CMP handles planarization, wafer cleaning suppresses particles and residue, and inspection runs through the whole line to provide feedback.

The nine areas feed one another, and variation in any one is amplified through the stack, so equipment and data strategy has to be consistent.