Glossary of Terms

A

Ampere

A measure of electrical current flow.

AMAT

Applied Materials, Inc.

Founded in 1967, Applied Materials creates and commercializes the nanomanufacturing technology that helps produce virtually every semiconductor chip and flat panel display in the world. The company recently entered the market for equipment to produce solar arrays and energy efficient glass.

ARO

At Receipt of Order

When the purchase order is received.

BTU

British Thermal Unit

A unit used to measure quantity of heat, defined as the quantity of energy necessary to raise the temperature of 1 lb. of water 1° Fahrenheit.

C

Celsius or Centigrade

The degree Celsius (°C) is a unit of temperature named after the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius (1701–1744), who first proposed a similar system in 1742. The Celsius temperature scale was designed so that the freezing point of water is 0 degrees, and the boiling point is 100 degrees at standard atmospheric pressure.

C&F

Cost & Freight

See Term "CFR".

Cathode

Position of wafer during processing.

The electrode through which an electric current leaves a liquid, gas, or other discrete part of an electric current; the negatively charged pole of an electrochemical cell.

Chuck

Position of wafer during processing.

See Term "Cathode".

CHX

Common Heat Exchanger

A communication protocol for chillers and heat exchangers on an Applied Materials etch platform.

CFR

Cost & Freight

The delivery of goods to the named port of destination (discharge) at the seller's expense. Buyer is responsible for the cargo insurance and other costs and risks. The term CFR was formerly written as C&F. Many importers and exporters worldwide still use the term C&F.

CIF

Cost, Insurance & Freight

The cargo insurance and delivery of goods to the named port of destination (discharge) at the seller's expense. Buyer is responsible for the import customs clearance and other costs and risks.

CIP

Carriage & Insurance Paid To

The delivery of goods and the cargo insurance to the named place of destination (discharge) at seller's expense. Buyer assumes the import customs clearance, payment of customs duties and taxes, and other costs and risks.

cm

Centimeter

A centimeter is a unit of length that is equal to one hundreth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. A centimeter is part of a metric system. It is the base unit in the centimeter-gram-second system of units. A corresponding unit of area is the square centimeter. A corresponding unit of volume is the cubic centimeter.

CMP

Chemical-Mechanical Polishing

Polishing the top surface of a wafer aided by a slurry containing an abrasive grit suspended in reactive chemical agents. As the name implies, the polishing action is partly mechanical and partly chemical. Both metals and oxides can be polished with CMP.

CoO

Cost-of-Ownership

The purchase price of equipment plus the cost of operating this equipment over its projected life span

CPT

Carriage Paid To

The delivery of goods to the named place of destination (discharge) at seller's expense. Buyer assumes the cargo insurance, import customs clearance, payment of customs duties and taxes, and other costs and risks.

CVD

Chemical Vapor Deposition

Deposition of thin films (usually dielectrics/insulators) on silicon wafers by placing the wafers in a mixture of gases which react at the surface of the wafers.

D

Depth

In physics, depth is a reference to how "deep" in distance from top to bottom or inside to outside (thickness) something is.

DAQ

Data Acquisition

Collecting and measuring electrical signals from sensors, transducers, and test probes or fixtures and inputting them to a computer for processing.

DDP

Deliver Duties Paid

The seller is responsible for most of the expenses, which include the cargo insurance, import customs clearance, and payment of customs duties and taxes at the buyer's end, and the delivery of goods to the final point at destination, which is often the project site or buyer's premises. The seller may opt not to insure the goods at his/her own risks.

DDU

Deliver Duties Unpaid

The delivery of goods and the cargo insurance to the final point at destination, which is often the project site or buyer's premises, at seller's expense. Buyer assumes the import customs clearance and payment of customs duties and taxes. The seller may opt not to insure the goods at his/her own risks.

DEP

Direct Exchange Program

One of the two repair options Noah offers for failed product returns. Upon receipt of a purchase order at fixed rate pricing, per an agreement, Noah Precision, LLC will ship an exchange / replacement unit typically within 1-5 days ARO.

DeviceNet

A type of digital communications protocol.

DI

De-Ionized (water)

Water at increased purity due to the removal of ionic species. Deionization is performed by an ion-exchange process, where anions and cations are exchanged for H+ and OH-ions, or a membrane process such as reverse osmosis that filters out anions and cations.

EG

Ethylene-Glycol

Ethylene glycol is a chemical compound widely used as an automotive antifreeze (coolant). In its pure form, it is a odorless, colorless, syrupy liquid with a sweet taste. Ethylene glycol is toxic, and its accidental ingestion should be considered a medical emergency.

ESC

Electrostatic Chuck

A mechanism for holding wafers to a Cathode or Chuck using electrostatic attraction.

Etch

Semiconductor Process

See Term "Plasma Etch"

EXW

EXWORKS

‘Ex’ means “from”. ‘Works’ means “factory, mill or warehouse”, which is the seller's premises. EXW applies to goods available only at the seller's premises. Buyer is responsible for loading the goods on truck or container at the seller's premises, and for the subsequent costs and risks.

F

Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit is a temperature scale named after the German physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, who proposed it in 1724. In this scale, the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit (written "32 °F"), and the boiling point is 212 degrees, placing the boiling and freezing points of water 180 degrees apart.

FCA

Free Carrier

The delivery of goods on truck, rail car or container at the specified point (depot) of departure, which is usually the seller's premises, or a named railroad station or a named cargo terminal or into the custody of the carrier, at seller's expense. The point (depot) at origin may or may not be a customs clearance center.

FOB

Free On Board

The delivery of goods on board the vessel at the named port of origin (loading), at seller's expense. Buyer is responsible for the main carriage/freight, cargo insurance and other costs and risks.

GAL

Gallon

The gallon is a unit of volume used for measuring liquids. A US gallon contains 231 cubic inches, 0.133 cubic feet, 4 quarts, or 3.785 liters. One US gallon of water weighs 8.3 lbs.

GPM

Gallons per Minute

Gallons per Minute, a measure of flow rate. This is used as the measure of the amount of fluid flowing through a tube or emitter in one minute.

H

Height

Height is a measurement of the distance from the bottom to the top of something which is upright. The measurement must be taken vertically, otherwise it is termed the length (or sometimes, the width). Like length and width, it is measured in units of length.

H₂O

Water

Water is liquid at standard temperature and pressure. It has the chemical formula H₂O, meaning that one molecule of water is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.

HR

Hour

The hour is a unit of time and is measured in 1/24 of a 1 day.

IDM

Individual Device Manufacturer

A company that performs every step of the chip-making process, including design, manufacture, test and packaging. Examples of IDMs are Intel, AMD, Motorola, IBM, TI and Lucent.

No Terms Defined.

kg

Kilograms

A kilogram is approximately equivalent to 2.205 avoirdupois pounds in the Imperial system and the customary system of weights and measures used in the United States.

kW

Kilowatt

A unit of electrical power equal to 1000 watts or 1.341 horsepower.

kWh

Kilowatt Hour

The work performed by one kilowatt of electric power in one hour.

LAM

Lam® Research

Founded in 1980, Lam Research Corporation is a major supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the world's semiconductor industry.

lb

Pound

The pound is the name of a unit of mass in a number of different systems, including various systems of units of mass that formed part of English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. Its size can vary from system to system. The most commonly used pound today is the international avoirdupois pound.

LLC

Limited Liability Company

A limited liability company (denoted by L.L.C. or LLC in the US) is a legal form of business company offering limited liability to its owners. In that respect, it is similar to a corporation, and is often a more flexible form of ownership, especially suitable for smaller companies with a limited number of owners. Unlike a regular corporation, however, a limited liability company is typically treated as a partnership for tax purposes, thereby avoiding double taxation.

LonWorks

A type of digital communications protocol.

loop

Single Process Cooling Circuit

Often refferred to as a "Closed-Loop" cooling/heating system for semiconductor processing.

lpm

Liters per Minute

Liters per Minute, a measure of flow rate. This is used as the measure of the amount of fluid flowing through a tube or emitter in one minute.

mm

Millimeter

A millimeter is a unit of length that is equal to one-thousandth of a meter, 0.03937 of an inch; 25.4 millimeters are equal to one inch.

MO

Metal Organics

See Term "MOCVD".

MOCVD

Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

A technique for growing thin layers of compound semiconductors in which metal organic compounds, having the formula MRx, where M is a group III metal and R is an organic radical, are decomposed near the surface of a heated substrate wafer, in the presence of a hydride of a group V element. Abbreviated MOCVD.

MTBF

Mean Time Between Failure

This is a statistical calculation, not a measurement. All the parts in a device have mean time between failure ratings. These are mathematically combined to get an MTBF number, often dependent on the stress put on them.

MTTR

Mean Time To Repair

Mean Time to Repair is the average time that a device will take to repair from a non-terminal failure.

nano

one-billionth

Nano - is a prefix (symbol n) in the SI system of units denoting a factor of 10-⁹. It is often used in prefixing time and length units encountered in electronics and computer systems, like 30 nanoseconds (symbol ns) and 100 nanometers (nm).

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer

An original equipment manufacturer is a company that builds products or components which are used in products sold by another company (often called a value-added reseller, or VAR). An OEM will typically build to order based on designs of the VAR.

Oxide

Chemical Compound

A chemical compound, the combination of oxygen with a metal forming a ceramic; examples - aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide.

PDB

Power Distribution Box

In a Noah PSC rack, the Power distributed from the main power source through the Power Distribution Box to as many as 8 Power Supply Controllers (PSC).

PF

Perfluorinated Fluid

A type of chemical that repels water and oil and is resistant to heat and chemical stress.

PID

Proportional Integral Derivative

The Controller compares a measured value from a process (typically an industrial process) with a reference setpoint value. The difference (or "error" signal) is then used to calculate a new value for a manipulatable input to the process that brings the process' measured value back to its desired setpoint.

Plasma Etch

Semiconductor Process

Plasma etching is a process in the manufacture of silicon-based integrated circuits. It is used to remove thin layers of the circuits to produce high resolution patterns, on which the circuits are built.

POU

Point-of-Use

In close proximity to the wafer processing tool\chamber.

PSC

Power Supply Controller

A device used for controlling and managing temperature set-points of a Noah Precision temperature control system.

No Terms Defined.

RCM

Remote Communication Module

A Remote Communications Module for translating various communication protocols between a Noah temperature control system and a wafer processing platform/chamber.

RF

Radio Frequency

Radio frequency, or RF, refers to that portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in which electromagnetic waves can be generated by alternating current fed to an antenna.

RMA

Return Merchandise Authorization

A Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) is a transaction whereby the recipient of a product arranges to return defective goods to the supplier to have the product repaired or replaced or in order to receive a refund or credit for another product.

RS232

Serial port

RS-232 is a standard for serial binary data interconnection between a DTE (Data terminal equipment) and a DCE (Data communication equipment).

RS485

Serial port

Similar to RS232 but uses a balanced signal mode. A balanced signal mode utilizes a pair of wires where a voltage difference is used to transmit/receive binary information.

RTD

Resistive Thermal Detector

Resistance thermometers, also called resistance temperature detector (RTD), are temperature sensors that exploit the predictable change in electrical resistance of some materials with changing temperature.

SED

Shippers Export Declaration

Primary export document required for commercial shipments out of the US. The information contained on an SED is transmitted electronically to the Bureau of Export Administration and to the US Census Bureau, responsible for export control and official US export statistics, respectively. SEDs are prepared by the exporter and the exporter's agent and delivered to the exporting carrier.

SLI

Shippers Letter of Instruction

A document that provides instructions from the shipper to the freight forwarder. It normally contains information such as shipment mode, payment method, and any other special instructions. In the US, one shipping document doubles for both SLI and SED: the top page is the SLI and the remaining pages, separated by carbon paper, is the Shipper's Export Declaration or SED, which is then submitted to US Customs when the goods are exported.

Strip

A colloquial term used to describe an etch process using methods other than RF and ionized gases

Sub-Fab

Underneath Fabrication

The floor, or “basement” directly below the wafer processing floor (distances vary).

TC

Thermocouple

A temperature-sensing element which converts thermal energy directly into electrical energy. In its basic form it consists of two dissimilar metallic conductors connected in a closed loop. Each junction forms a thermocouple. If one thermocouple is maintained at a temperature different from that of the other, an electrical current proportional to this temperature difference will flow in the circuit.

TCU

Temperature Control Unit

A device for controlling temperature in semiconductor applications, commonly referred to as a “chiller”.

TE

Thermoelectric

Thermoelectric effect, is the direct conversion of heat differentials to electric voltage and vice versa.

TEL

Tokyo Electron, Limited

Manufacturer of semiconductor equipment. Information about subsidiaries, employment opportunities, training, and products.

Track

A wafer process where photoresist or developer is deposited on the surface of a wafer.

No Terms Defined.

V

Volt

Basic unit of electrical potential. One volt is the force required to send one ampere of electrical current through a resistance of one ohm.

W

Width

The horizontal measurement across the widest area of an item.

Wafer

a Silicon or IIIV Compound Disc

In microelectronics, a wafer is a thin slice of semiconducting material, such as a silicon crystal, upon which microcircuits are constructed by doping (for example, diffusion or ion implantation), etching, and deposition of various materials. Wafers are thus of key importance in the fabrication of semiconductor devices such as integrated circuits.

No Terms Defined.

No Terms Defined.

No Terms Defined.