1. Fundamentals
The basic structure and operating principle of this device are covered in the Fundamentals chapter Transistors and Memory. The following sections describe fabrication in detail, but they only cover the basic manufacturing steps of a single transistor. In reality, hundreds of additional process steps are needed to produce millions or billions of transistors and other components on a wafer in parallel. In addition to measurement operations or wafer inspections, which don’t change the actual structure, these can include extra mask layers, etching and deposition processes, cleaning steps, implantations, and many more.