Die (integrated circuit)

There are three commonly used plural forms: dice, dies, and die. To simplify handling and integration onto a printed circuit board, most dies are packaged in various forms.

Manufacturing process

Most dies are composed of silicon and used for integrated circuits. The process begins with the production of monocrystalline silicon ingot. These ingots are then sliced into disks with a diameter of up to 300 mm.

These wafers are then polished to a mirror finish before going through photolithography. In many steps the transistors are manufactured and connected with metal interconnect layers. These prepared wafers then go through wafer testing to test their functionality. The wafers are then sliced and sorted to filter out the faulty dies. Functional dies are then packaged and the completed integrated circuit is ready to be shipped.