When we talk about a chip, we often think about it having a really complicated circuits, like the Apple M2 where it has 20 billions of transistors and etc. Back in the days, chip weren’t that complicated so I could digest that they could design it. But nowadays since they’re more complicated, do they really design it when they’re very small like nanometer level?
Ps: I’m not a computer engineering student but feel free to use some technical terms if needed since I take related course to this.
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Chips with billions of transistors are designed and manufactured using very advanced machines and technologies. The first step in designing a chip is to create a blueprint or a plan for the chip, which shows how the transistors and other components will be arranged on the chip.
Once the blueprint is ready, the chip designers use special computer programs and tools to create the detailed instructions for making the chip. These instructions are called “computer-aided design” (CAD) files.
Next, the CAD files are used to make a small, physical model of the chip using a process called photolithography. This involves using light and chemicals to etch the design of the chip onto a tiny piece of silicon, which is the material that most chips are made of.
The silicon wafer with the chip design on it is then placed into a machine called a “stepper,” which uses light and other technologies to create the tiny transistors and other components on the chip. This process is repeated many times to create many identical chips on the silicon wafer.
Finally, the silicon wafer is cut into individual chips and tested to make sure they are working properly. The chips are then packaged and sold to companies that use them in their products, such as computers and smartphones.
So, as you can see, designing and manufacturing chips with billions of transistors is a very complex and high-tech process. It involves many different machines and technologies, and it is done at a very small scale, on the nanometer level.
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