Branch Education
2 HN recommenders · recommended in 3 months, 2024–2025
27:48 · 12M views · May 17, 2024
Branch Education walks through a semiconductor fab and the dozens of steps used to turn silicon wafers into microchips, with 3D animation. It covers lithography, deposition and etching at a high level.
Pointed to as a clear visual reference for chip manufacturing steps.
4 comments from Hacker News
Just to add to this, the Branch Education YouTube channel has great videos detailing the manufacturing process as well, here's one for starters: this video
In the description they say a video on lithography is on the way. In the mean time maybe this one from the same channel: this video Great channel
The graphic from the OIST in the link makes reference to both the reduced power needed and reduced capital costs, less mirrors & cheaper EUV light source. Also, less power -> less heat -> less cooling. I scoured for some other info as well: A single chip would go through a photo-lithography tool about 80 times. A photo-lithography tool can work on approx. 125 wafers per hour (5 FOUPS). A wafer contains ~230 chips. Current EUV light source requires a 20kw carbon laser. this video [LINK]
A video showing those steps, for the curious: this video It's probably not 100% identical to TSMC's process.