What is silicon wafer?

A silicon wafer is a material essential for manufacturing semiconductors, which are found in all kinds of electronic devices that enrich our lives.

Few of us have a chance to encounter an actual silicon wafer in daily life. This ultra-flat disk is polished to a mirror-like surface, and made as free as possible of tiny surface irregularities, making it the flattest object in the world. It is also ultra-clean, virtually free of microparticles and other impurities. 

These qualities are necessary so it can be used as the substrate material of today's state-of-the-art semiconductors.

Nearly all the electronic equipment around us uses semiconductor devices. That includes information devices like smartphones, PCs, tablets, and wearable computers; home appliances such as TVs and air conditioners; and means of transportation from cars to trains.

Now the Internet of Things (IoT) age is upon us, when everything from smartphones to cars and industrial machinery will be Internet-connected.

Demand for semiconductors is seen as likely to continue growing. Among the demand drivers are memory and logic devices for storing and processing huge volumes of data in the IoT and big data era; the various sensors needed for safe driving assistance and self-driving cars; and power management devices necessary for reducing energy consumption.