Semiconductor device fabrication is the process used to manufacture
semiconductor devices, typically integrated circuits (ICs) such as computer
processors, microcontrollers, and memory chips (such as NAND flash and DRAM)
that are present in everyday electrical and electronic devices. It is a
multiple-step photolithographic and physio-chemical process (with steps such
as thermal oxidation, thin-film deposition, ion-implantation, etching) during
which electronic circuits are gradually created on a wafer, typically made of
pure single-crystal semiconducting material. Silicon is almost always used,
but various compound semiconductors are used for specialized applications.