It is not a secret for anybody that Intel's manufacturing factories are currently among the leading factories in the world in terms of technical equipment. How do they differ from the harsh Chelyabinsk pipe foundries? And let's see.



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This article may be primarily useful to those who want to build their factory for the production of processors - if you ever had a similar idea, then boldly bookmark the article;)

... A new plant for the production of pipes of various diameters has opened in Chelyabinsk. The first pipes of various diameters have already left the conveyor ...

In order to understand what scale we are talking about, I advise you to familiarize yourself with the previous article entitled “ The difficulties of manufacturing processors ”. It is important to understand the scale not so much of the factory itself (although they, too), as the production itself - some parts of modern processors are made literally at the atomic level. Accordingly, the approach here is special.
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It is clear that we cannot do without factories in production. Currently, Intel has 4 factories capable of mass production of 32nm processors: D1D and D1C in Oregon, Fab 32 in Arizona and Fab 11X in New Mexico.

Plant device

The height of each Intel factory for the production of processors on 300-mm silicon wafers is 21 meters, and the area reaches 100 thousand square meters. There are 4 main levels in the factory building:

Ventilation system level
The microprocessor consists of millions of transistors - the smallest speck of dust found on a silicon wafer can destroy thousands of transistors. Therefore, the most important condition for the production of microprocessors is the sterile cleanliness of the premises. The level of the ventilation system is located on the upper floor - here are special systems that carry out 100% air purification, control the temperature and humidity in the production premises. The so-called “Clean Rooms” are divided into classes (depending on the amount of dust particles per unit volume) and the very-most (class 1) approximately 1000 times cleaner than the surgical operating room. To eliminate vibrations, clean rooms are located on its own vibration-proof foundation.

Clean Room Level
The floor covers an area of ​​several football fields - this is where microprocessors are made. A special automated system moves the plates from one production station to another. Purified air is supplied through a ventilation system located in the ceiling, and is removed through special openings located in the floor.
In addition to the increased requirements for sterility of the premises, the staff working there should be “clean” - only at this level the specialists work in sterile suits that protect (thanks to the built-in filtration system that runs on the battery) silicon plates from microparticles of textile dust, hair and skin particles . This costume is called “Bunny suit” - it may take from 30 to 40 minutes to put it on for the first time. Company specialists need about 5 minutes for this.



Lower level
Designed for systems supporting the work of the factory (pumps, transformers, power cabinets, etc.). Large pipes (ducts) transfer various technical gases, liquids and exhaust air. Overalls of employees of this level include a helmet, goggles, gloves and special shoes.

Engineering level
To destination is a continuation of the lower level. There are electric panels for power supply of production, system of pipelines and air ducts, as well as air conditioners and compressors.

Dust - small solid bodies of organic or mineral origin. Dust is particles of an average diameter of 0.005 mm and a maximum diameter of 0.1 mm. Larger particles transfer the material to the discharge of sand, which has dimensions from 0.1 to 1 mm. Under the action of moisture, dust usually turns to dirt. Interesting Facts • In a flat-closed apartment with closed windows, in two weeks, about 12 thousand dust particles per 1 square centimeter of the floor and the horizontal surface of the furniture are deposited. This dust contains 35% of mineral particles, 12% of textile and paper fibers, 19% of skin flakes, 7% of pollen, 3% of soot and smoke particles. The remaining 24% are of unknown origin. • It is estimated that one hectare of lawn binds 60 tons of dust.

Building a factory of this level takes about 3 years and about $ 5 billion — this is the amount that the plant will have to “beat off” in the next 4 years (by the time new technological process and architecture emerge, the productivity required for this is about 100 silicon wafer workers in hour). If after these numbers no muscle on your face has trembled, then here is you (already for inclusion in the estimate) some more approximate statistics. To build a plant you need:
- more than 19,000 tons of steel
- more than 112,000 cubic meters of concrete
- more than 900 kilometers of cable

Visual process of building one of the company's factories (poured in HD):

Intel Copy Exactly

Most manufacturers of semiconductor electronics equipment and processes used in laboratories for research and development, differ from what is used in factories for the production of the product itself. In this connection, a problem arises - during the transition from pilot production to serial production, there are often unforeseen situations and other delays arising from the need to refine and adapt technological processes - in general, do everything to achieve the highest percentage of yield. In addition to the delay in mass production, this may lead to other complications - at least to changes in the values ​​of the technical process parameters. Accordingly, the result may be unpredictable.
Intel has its own approach in this situation, called Copy Exactly . The essence of this technology is in the complete copying of laboratory conditions to the factories under construction. Every detail is repeated - not only the building itself (construction, equipment and settings, pipeline system, clean rooms and wall painting), but also input / output parameters of processes (of which there are more than 500!), Suppliers of raw materials and even personnel training methods. All this allows factories to work in full force almost immediately after launch, but this is not the main advantage. Thanks to this approach, factories have greater flexibility - in the event of an accident or reorganization, the plates started at one plant can be immediately “continued” at another, without much damage to the business. This approach was appreciated by competing companies, but for some reason almost no one uses it anymore.

As I have already said, in the hall of computer technology of the Moscow Polytechnic Museum, Intel opened its exposition, one of the largest in the hall. The stand was named “ From Sand to Processor ” and is a rather informative structure.



At the head of the hall is "Chipman" in an exact copy of the suit, which are used in the factories of the corporation. Next - the layout of one of the factories; there is a stand nearby, inside which are “processors at different stages” - pieces of silicon oxide, silicon wafers, the processors themselves, etc. All this is equipped with a large amount of information and is supported by an interactive stand on which anyone can view the processor's device (by moving the scale slider - down to the molecular structure). Not to be unfounded, here are a couple of photos of the exposure:







On Monday there will be an article about the production of processors. In the meantime, sit back in your chair and watch (preferably in HD) this video:



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