Bit-tech and Intel - How to make a CPU

[Sylvanas]

Probably the best article I've read in a while. Easy to read and well presented article with good diagrams on what goes into a CPU from sand to inside your PC. Still blows my mind.

One question I have is how exactly do they make those 30 layer interconnects explained on page 3?

 

[Idontcare]

They did a pretty good job of hitting the salient points, but the "30 layers" is one of those weird statements where it could be true if they consider each layer as being dielectric layers (etch-stop, lowk, lowk cap) x10 metal layers. If they meant to say 30 metal layers then that is off by ~3x. Some flows go up to 13 metal layers but they are rarely used for yield reasons.

Also their cad drawing with the interconnect got a little messed up from what appears to be literal interpretation of cross-section SEMs versus understanding what they were actually looking at. I am specifically referring to the Via's and how they extended the bottoms of the trenches down to almost the full via height running nearly the full length of the metal wires. Oops.

Other than that one mistake though the rest of the pretty pics appear to be accurate depictions. Mind you every company actually does the details differently (for IP infringement avoidance reasons) and there are lots of ways to skin the cat.

 

[Voo]

Great article and thanks for posting.

 

[extra]

VERY good article, thanks for posting. Been looking for something like this that explained it in an easy enough way to understand, something I could circulate around at work and such. Thanks!

 

[TuxDave]

They did a pretty good job of hitting the salient points, but the "30 layers" is one of those weird statements where it could be true if they consider each layer as being dielectric layers (etch-stop, lowk, lowk cap) x10 metal layers. If they meant to say 30 metal layers then that is off by ~3x. Some flows go up to 13 metal layers but they are rarely used for yield reasons.

Also their cad drawing with the interconnect got a little messed up from what appears to be literal interpretation of cross-section SEMs versus understanding what they were actually looking at. I am specifically referring to the Via's and how they extended the bottoms of the trenches down to almost the full via height running nearly the full length of the metal wires. Oops.

Other than that one mistake though the rest of the pretty pics appear to be accurate depictions. Mind you every company actually does the details differently (for IP infringement avoidance reasons) and there are lots of ways to skin the cat.

You'd think it wouldn't be too hard to just grab a random EE in his junior/senior year to read over the article.