Roll-on toward spherical semiconductors

Ball Semiconductor Inc. (Allen, TX) has moved four steps closer to producing spherical semiconductors. The company claims these silicon spheres have the potential to reduce the cost of integrated circuit manufacturing by 90% through the use of hermetically sealed tubes in place of clean rooms, and cut the processing cycle times to days instead of months. Ball recently proved the initial processes necessary for manufacturing the round semiconductors: 1. diffusion; 2. deposition; 3. ultra-high temperature processing; and 4. floating--the chips' ability to travel within hermetically sealed tubes without touching the sides. The company conducted characterization testing of a metal-oxide semiconductor diode and a P/N junction diode built on the surface of a sphere. The company's next step: building transistors and integrated circuits on a 1-mm sphere. FAX: (972) 359-2410.