I. Core Basic Terms

1. Semiconductor: A material (e.g., silicon, germanium) with electrical conductivity between conductors and insulators, serving as the core substrate for electronic devices.

2. Wafer: A thin circular sheet made of semiconductor material (common sizes: 8-inch, 12-inch), acting as the basic carrier for chip manufacturing.

3. Chip/Die: An individual semiconductor device cut from a processed wafer after front-end fabrication steps such as lithography and etching. Packaging occurs afterward as a separate assembly process..

4. IC (Integrated Circuit): An electronic circuit integrating a large number of transistors, resistors, and other components on a wafer, forming the core structure of a chip.

5. Moore's Law: A key reference principle for industry development, stating that "the number of transistors that can be integrated on an integrated circuit doubles every 18-24 months."

6. Process Node: The minimum size of transistors in chip manufacturing (e.g., 7nm, 5nm, 3nm). Smaller values indicate more advanced processes and stronger performance.

7. Lithography: A core process that transfers circuit patterns onto the wafer surface via light projection, determining the precision of chip manufacturing processes.

8. Etching: A process that removes excess material from the wafer surface through chemical or physical means to form circuit patterns.

9. Doping: A process that modifies the electrical conductivity of semiconductor materials by implanting specific impurities (e.g., boron, phosphorus).

10. Epitaxy/Epi: A process that grows a semiconductor thin film on the wafer surface with a crystal structure consistent with the substrate.

11. WIP (Working In Progress): Products that have not completed all manufacturing processes.

12. Lot: The basic unit for production and scheduling.

II. AMHS-Specific Terms (Automated Material Handling System)

1. AMHS (Automated Material Handling System): The core system in semiconductor fabs for automated transportation and storage of materials such as wafers and reticles

2. OHT (Overhead Hoist Transport): An overhead suspended handling system that hangs from the ceiling via rails and uses robotic arms to transport FOUPs, serving as the mainstream AMHS equipment.

3. NTB (Near-Tool Buffer): A high-efficiency transfer hub deployed beside core production tools (e.g., lithography, etching, deposition, testing equipment), connecting OHTs and tool load ports to close the final loop of semiconductor material flow.

4. AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle): A ground-based autonomous material handling device guided by magnetic strips, lasers, or other technologies.

5. RGV (Rail Guided Vehicle): A material handling device traveling along fixed rails, suitable for short-distance, high-frequency transportation.

6. FOUP (Front-Opening Unified Pod): A sealed container for storing and transporting wafers, maintaining a clean environment to prevent contamination.

7. FOSB (Front-Opening Shipping Box): A shipping container for long-distance wafer transportation, featuring anti-collision, dust-proof, and humidity-controlled functions.

8. STK (Stocker): Automated storage equipment for three-dimensional storage and automatic access of materials like FOUPs and FOSBs, acting as the storage core of AMHS.

9. Load Port: An interface connecting production equipment and AMHS, enabling automatic docking of FOUPs for material transfer.

10. Lifter: A specialized device for vertical transfer and temporary storage of materials in cleanrooms, mainly responsible for automated transportation of standard carriers (e.g., MGZs, FOUPs) between floors.

11. OHCV (Overhead Carrier Vehicle): A flexible transfer device used for automated transportation and temporary storage of carriers between AMHS subsystems and production tools, serving as a key component to connect horizontal logistics links and achieve efficient material flow.

12. E-rack: An electronic shelf designed for carrier storage in cleanrooms. By integrating RFID identification, intelligent control, and data interaction technologies, it enables automated storage, precise positioning, and full-process traceability of carriers such as FOUPs and MGZs.

             

13. OCS (Overhead Conveyor System): A general term for overhead handling equipment, including OHTs in a broad sense.

14. WMS (Warehouse Management System): A system for inventory monitoring, inbound/outbound scheduling, and path optimization in AMHS warehousing.

15. MCS (Material Control System): The "brain" of AMHS, responsible for overall material transportation scheduling, equipment coordination, and process control.

16. MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures): A core indicator for measuring the reliability of AMHS equipment.

17. MTTR (Mean Time To Repair): An indicator for measuring the recovery efficiency of AMHS equipment after failures.

18. Cleanroom: The core production area of semiconductor fabs, controlling parameters such as dust, temperature, humidity, and static electricity to prevent material contamination. AMHS mainly operates in Class 1-100 cleanrooms.

19. SMIF (Standard Mechanical Interface): An interface standard for sealed docking between FOUPs, equipment, and AMHS, ensuring a clean environment.

III. Production and Manufacturing Terms

1. Wafer Fabrication: The entire process from blank wafers to the formation of integrated circuit patterns (including lithography, etching, doping, etc.), which includes the Front End Of the Line (FEOL) stage where transistors and device structures are formed.

2. Packaging: The process of encapsulating cut chips (dies) in protective casings to achieve electrical connection, heat dissipation, and physical protection, performed after wafer fabrication as part of the assembly and packaging process.

3. Testing: Including Wafer Sort and Final Test, which detect chip performance and yield to screen out unqualified products.

4. Yield: The ratio of qualified chips to the total number of manufactured chips, serving as a core indicator for measuring production efficiency.

5. Reticle/Mask: A transparent template carrying circuit patterns, used to project patterns onto wafers during lithography.

6. CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition): A process that deposits thin films on the wafer surface through gas-phase chemical reactions.

7. PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition): A process that deposits thin films on the wafer surface through physical means such as evaporation and sputtering.

8. CMP (Chemical Mechanical Planarization): A process that flattens the wafer surface by combining chemical etching and mechanical polishing.

9. Ion Implantation: A type of doping process that implants impurities into precise areas of semiconductor materials via high-energy ion beams.

10. Metallization: A process that deposits metal layers (e.g., copper, aluminum) on the wafer surface to form interconnection lines for circuits.

11. Throughput: The output volume completed per unit time.

12. Cycle Time: The total time required from the start to the completion of a process.

13. Queue Time: The waiting time in equipment or buffers.

14. Bottleneck: A process that limits overall production capacity.

15. Defect: An abnormality affecting performance or reliability.

16. Critical Layer: A process layer with the greatest impact on yield.

17. Rework: Re-processing unqualified lots.

18. Scrap: Products that cannot continue in the production process.

IV. Equipment and Material Terms

1. Lithography Machine: The core equipment for lithography, divided into DUV (Deep Ultraviolet Lithography) and EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography). EUV is used for advanced processes of 7nm and below.

2. Etcher: Equipment for wafer etching processes, divided into dry etchers and wet etchers.

3. Deposition Equipment: Equipment used for thin film deposition processes such as CVD and PVD.

4. Ion Implanter: Equipment for ion implantation doping processes.

5. Silicon Wafer: The most commonly used wafer substrate, divided into Polished Silicon Wafers (PWS), Epi Wafers, etc.

6. Photoresist: A photosensitive material used to receive patterns during lithography, divided into positive resist and negative resist.

7. Specialty Gases: High-purity gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etching, doping, and deposition (e.g., ammonia, silane).

8. Wet Chemicals: High-purity chemical reagents used for cleaning and etching (e.g., sulfuric acid, hydrofluoric acid).

9. Target Material: Materials used for depositing metal thin films in PVD processes (e.g., copper targets, aluminum targets).

10. Seals: Sealing components used for FOUPs, equipment interfaces, etc., ensuring clean environments and gas isolation.

11. Handshake: A status confirmation logic between equipment and systems.

12. Interlock: A safety mechanism to prevent hazards or misoperations.

V. Packaging and Testing Terms

1. Flip Chip: An advanced packaging technology where the chip is flipped face-down and directly connected to the substrate via bumps, offering advantages such as good heat dissipation and short interconnections.

2. BGA (Ball Grid Array): A packaging format that achieves electrical connection through an array of solder balls on the bottom of the chip, suitable for high-density packaging.

3. CSP (Chip Scale Package): A micro-packaging technology where the package size is close to the chip size.

4. SiP (System in Package): A packaging technology that integrates multiple chips with different functions into a single package to achieve system-level functionality.

5. Test Probe: A probe that contacts chip pins

or solder joints during testing to transmit electrical signals.

6. Handler: Equipment that automatically transports chips during testing to enable testing and sorting.

7. Tester: Equipment that inputs test signals to chips, detects output results, and judges whether chips are qualified.

8. Burn-in Test: A long-term test of chips under extreme environments (e.g., high temperature, high pressure) to screen out early failure products.