Lehigh University alumnus Richard Busch is a business executive based in Austin, Texas. Now the founding principal of The Busch Group, he previously served as vice president of power systems technology development at IBM’s Austin office. He also worked with GLOBALFOUNDRIES between 2014 and 2015. At both IBM and GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Richard Busch had a hand in the production of semiconductor chips.
Semiconductor chips consist of thousands to millions of transistors--tiny electronic switches--compressed into a piece of silicon. Microchips are specially wired together so they can perform a particular function collectively. To properly work, semiconductor chips undergo a complex and precise production process involving hundreds of operations. One of the initial steps is oxidation layering.
During oxidation layering, the first thin layer of silicon dioxide is formed over a silicon-based wafer under temperatures ranging between 1652 degrees Fahrenheit and 2192 degrees Fahrenheit. This is an important part of the process because the silicon dioxide helps provide the necessary insulation to protect the silicon underneath it and form the transistor gates.
Semiconductor chips consist of thousands to millions of transistors--tiny electronic switches--compressed into a piece of silicon. Microchips are specially wired together so they can perform a particular function collectively. To properly work, semiconductor chips undergo a complex and precise production process involving hundreds of operations. One of the initial steps is oxidation layering.
During oxidation layering, the first thin layer of silicon dioxide is formed over a silicon-based wafer under temperatures ranging between 1652 degrees Fahrenheit and 2192 degrees Fahrenheit. This is an important part of the process because the silicon dioxide helps provide the necessary insulation to protect the silicon underneath it and form the transistor gates.
