reticle
/ˈretɪkəl/
the photomask containing one or more chip patterns, used in a stepper to expose those patterns onto a wafer
reticle in a sentence
“Each reticle costs millions of dollars to produce for advanced nodes.”
Origin of reticle
Latin reticulum small net; originally referred to a grid in optical instruments
Related Words
IDM
Integrated Device Manufacturer; a semiconductor company that both designs and manufactures its own chips
HBM
High Bandwidth Memory; a stacked DRAM technology that places memory dies directly atop or beside a processor for extreme data throughput
back-end-of-line
the stage of chip fabrication that creates the metal interconnect layers connecting transistors to each other
transistor
a semiconductor device that amplifies or switches electrical signals; the fundamental building block of modern electronics
semiconductor
a material whose electrical conductivity falls between that of a conductor and an insulator, enabling precise control of current
wafer
a thin, circular disc of semiconductor material (typically silicon) on which integrated circuits are fabricated