Semiconductor industry and market

Which correctly distinguishes the 'front end' and 'back end' of semiconductor manufacturing?

  1. AThe front end is design, and the back end is manufacturing
  2. BThe front end builds circuits on the wafer, and the back end cuts out chips and assembles and tests them
  3. CThe front end is testing, and the back end is wafer manufacturing
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Answer: B. The front end builds circuits on the wafer, and the back end cuts out chips and assembles and tests them

The front end builds circuits on wafers by repeating steps such as deposition, lithography, etching and ion implantation. The back end assembles chips cut from the wafer into packages, tests them and ships them. With advanced packaging growing in importance, the boundary between the two is becoming blurred.

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More Semiconductor industry and market questions

  1. What is the direction called that raises value not only by increasing integration through scaling but also by combining diverse functions such as sensors, power, analog and advanced packaging?
  2. Which is an appropriate example of a field that has strongly boosted semiconductor demand in recent years?
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  4. Which is an appropriate main reason governments are providing large-scale support to the semiconductor industry?
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