Making semiconductors requires a complex, deeply integrated, and global value chain. The list below outlines the value chain at a high-level.
- Stage 1: Semiconductor manufacturing begins with research and development.
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- Stage 2: Chip design is the process whereby engineers create the blueprints for semiconductor chips.
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- Stage 3: Front-end manufacturing—also known as fabrication—transforms wafers into complex integrated circuits.
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- Stage 4: Back-end manufacturing assembles, tests, and packages chips to ensure reliability and to enable functionality.
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These processes yield completed semiconductor chips that are ready for assembly onto circuit boards, which are then used to make electronic products.
An overview of the manufacturing processes is available through our PFAS Consortium materials.
