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In the Forums... |
Posted: November 22, 2000 Written by: Tuan "Solace" Nguyen The Cutting Edge  These are just a few of the more than 250 steps in making a processor or any other type of chip. After the processors have been completely manufactured on the silicon wafer, each processor die is tested, and if everything is okay, the dies are cut from the wafer using a diamond saw. Each processor core is then inserted into a protective packaging -- your typical ceramic plate -- and is connected using thin gold wires to the packaging where electrical traces lead to pins, which are located externally. Each processor is tested one more time to ensure that everything is working properly and then it is time for it to see the day of light. Conclusion What I’ve just explained to you are just some basic concepts and information behind how a processor is made. The design of a processor takes years, and the manufacturing part isn’t even half the work. Designing a processor takes hundreds and thousands of people, and millions of man-hours and dedicated hard work. Also, you need a sophisticated fabrication facility, which costs big bucks. We’re talking around 5 billion dollars per fabrication plant. Intel builds a new fabrication plant every 5 years. That alone tells you the costs of manufacturing -- let alone design. Next time you go out and purchase a CPU upgrade and wonder why in the world it costs so much, think back to this article here, and you’ll see where most of the money you spend goes. I hope you’ve learned a little more about what goes into making your computer and how it works. I’ll talk about other devices next time but the processor is the most sophisticated and delicate device in your computer, or any other computer for that matter. If you haven’t done so, take a look at some of the other How It Works guides I’ve written here. Once again, thanks for reading. Feel free to write me with comments and or questions here or visit me and other Tweak3D members in channel #tweak3d on any Undernet server, IRC. Click here for a printer friendly version. |
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