DOH!! I hate to reply to myself, but I realized that I may not have made it clear. The carbothermal process that the article talks about is the process for making metallurgical-grade Si. This is a relatively cheap part of the overall semiconductor process which is overshadowed by orders of magnitude. The purification from 99.5-99.9% to 99.9999999% via all the chlorination and distillations is big, then the electrical costs of re-depositing solid silicon is HUGE by comparison. Then there's the cost of the wafer pulling and prep.
Bottom line: this will have almost no effect on semiconductor prices. Might be useful for solar, but that's doubtful also, because solar cells need better purity than metallurgical grade Si.
Solar cell producers regularly buy semiconductor byproduct material such as the semiconductor wafer cut-offs, and downgraded poly that doesn't meet semi spec.
WOW, a subject where I seem to be the first "expert" to post.
I work in the semiconductor industry. (actually, for one of he largest producers of semiconductor-grade silicon in the world,) and I'm intimately familiar with the process to turn silicon from sand into wafers for chip manufacture. At my work, we are the middle step. I'll explain:
Semiconductor-grade silicon is ultra-pure silicon metal (I mean parts-per-billion atomic purity.) All the semi-grade Si in the world is produced in approximately the same way.
Silica (sand) is reduced to "metallurgical grade" silicon (~99.5% pure) in an arc furnace process, the sand is melted with a reducing agent (often carbon), and the molten metal is poured off. (this is a very cool process. The smelter has a hole in the bottom that is allowed to freeze shut with Si, and when they're ready to pour, someone shoots out the Si plug with a shotgun. Cool job)
This metallurgical grade Si is sold to intermediate producers who grind it to a fine powder, and react it with gaseous HCl in fluid bed reactors to generate chlorosilanes (H3SiCl, H2SiCl2, HSiCl3, SiCl4.) These chlorosilanes are then distilled to very high purity ~99.999% or more.
The chlorosilanes (different ones for different manufacturers) are then used in the Siemens process to produce semiconductor-grade POLYCRYSTALLINE silicon. The process works by Chemical Vapor Deposition. Ultra-pure silicon rods are placed in a reactor in an inverted U shape, and each end of the U is connected to an electrical circuit. The atmosphere inside the reactor is purged of all gasses and then chlorosilane vapors are introduced. Huge amounts of electricity are used to heat the U circuits to incandescence (imagen a 600 megawatt lightbulb) and the ultra-pure chlorosilanes decompose into Si and HCl at the surface of the rods.
The problem with the silicon, at this point, is that it's polycrystalline, not single crystal. In order to produce proper IC's, the crystal structure of the silicon must be perfect 1,1,1 crystal. Polycrystalline silicon (a.k.a. poly) is a random oriented growth where the crystal structures of many crstals have grown together. The poly is reduced in size and sent to a crystal pulling facility (wafer fab) where it is used in the Czoralski process for making wafers.
The CZ process consists of melting a large amount of poly, then dipping in a "seed" crystal. This perfect single-crystal specimen is "dipped" into the molten silicon while being rotated. The seed is then carefully "pulled" upwards while rotating, and the resulting ingot grows in diameter based on the pull speed, and several other factors (300mm is current state of the art.)
Once the pull is completed, a ~1000+ kg log of single crystal silicon is made, and is ready for final processing to wafers. The tapered ends are removed (top and tail) and the "log" is shaved down perfectly round and to the proper diameter. Diamond impregnated wire saws are used to slice the log into wafers, the wafers are lapped and polished, and they are ready to have IC's printed on them. (some are further processed, but you get the gist.
Well, we can narrow the field by adding the fact that MIR's orbital period is about 90 min, and that re-entry has to occur somewhere near India to allow for a Pacific impact in the desired area. With an altitude of around 280 mi, we're looking at about 18-25 min from re-entry to touchdown, so, I'm going to guess 2001-03-22 07:35:18.
Just where, pray tell, did I say that we should judgs success as "dominating the technical market?"
My point, as I thought I made very clearly, and others have said, as well, is that with the acceptance of linux into the mainstream market by such players as IBM, Shell, and Sam Goody, linux as a whole gains momentum and "mindshare" (ugh, marketingspeak) as well as credibility.
That makes it easier for IT personnell to convince silly management types to use linux as an alternative to OTHER COMMERCIAL OS'ES. This does not necessarily mean M$, but that is something that I would like to see.
As linux gains support as a desktop/server/research platform, it is valid to assume that it will begin to make a dent in M$'s share of the desktop/server marketplace, as well as other manufacturers big iron OS'es. This, in turn, forces these companies to work to supply better product to maintain their profit. (basic economics, if you can get the same functionality for free, why pay?)
I guess what I'm saying is that I don't define linux's success as dominating any market. I feel that success will bring more competition and innovation, a-la the Intel-AMD competition (well, maybe not so much innovation.)
It does my heart good to see the "Mainstream" media (OK, OK, it's only Yahoo, but come on, Joe Schmoe is more likely to read Yahoo than Wired or ZDNet right?) giving linux some good press. Even the purists have to believe that good things will come from the growing big business support that Linux is getting. When people start hearing that IBM, Sam Goodey, and now Shell Oil are using linux, that adds credibility to those of us who've been saying that linux wasw a viable alternative to MS for quite some time now.
Yes, yes, I think that MS does have its place. I have a Win98 machine on my desk (flame away, I can handle it.) I also have a dual linux machine that acts as my firewall/masq. and I've tried for quite some time to convince people that linux has its place. I have a friend that works in graphic design and won't even consider the gimp on relatively inexpensive hardware (even though he's used it on my boxen and LOVES it) because linux isn't "solid" enough for his business needs. Never mind that he's paying exorbinant(sp?) fees for that badass machine with photoshop etc. etc. and it spends more time crashed in a week than I've ever seen my linux boxen down. Granted it's different service, but still.
My point is, big companies embracing linux is a good thing for our collective credibility, as well as making it easier for managers to justify spending nothing on OS'es (and therefore more on sysadmins;> )
The main practical use of bipedal robot research looks forward to the Jetsons-esque idea of robots in the home to assist with chores, help watch the kids, etc. Sure, there are more efficient forms for the robot, but a bipedal design is much more versitile because it moves the same way that we do. A major problem for wheeled/track-driven robots are that they've often had limited success with stairs, varied floor surfaces, etc. Since houses are designed for humans who (mostly) walk on 2 legs, a bipedal design for a robot makes it much less prone to problems moving around in an environment designed for bipedal humans to walk in.
While I am not terribly enthused about the seeming explosion of "silly patents," I tend to agree with streetlawyer here. The idea of clicking on an item, item's description, picture of an item, ascii rendition of an item . . . you get the picture. Seems pretty obvious to the relatively savvy folks around/. but there doesn't seem to be any real case for the "prior art" issue when you look at the facts. We may just have to accept that, even though it seems pretty silly, the Amazon patent is valid, and we're just going to have to deal with it (not necessarily like it).
IANAL, but my understanding of patent law is that, if I wanted to, I could patent a zepplin built from 40 mm titanium sheeting and filled with mercury as long as someone else hadn't already come up with the idea. hmmmm that would be a pretty cool project. . . Anybody got a few extra thermometers I could have?
Slashdot Mirror
DOH!! I hate to reply to myself, but I realized that I may not have made it clear. The carbothermal process that the article talks about is the process for making metallurgical-grade Si. This is a relatively cheap part of the overall semiconductor process which is overshadowed by orders of magnitude. The purification from 99.5-99.9% to 99.9999999% via all the chlorination and distillations is big, then the electrical costs of re-depositing solid silicon is HUGE by comparison. Then there's the cost of the wafer pulling and prep.
Bottom line: this will have almost no effect on semiconductor prices. Might be useful for solar, but that's doubtful also, because solar cells need better purity than metallurgical grade Si.
Solar cell producers regularly buy semiconductor byproduct material such as the semiconductor wafer cut-offs, and downgraded poly that doesn't meet semi spec.
WOW, a subject where I seem to be the first "expert" to post.
I work in the semiconductor industry. (actually, for one of he largest producers of semiconductor-grade silicon in the world,) and I'm intimately familiar with the process to turn silicon from sand into wafers for chip manufacture. At my work, we are the middle step. I'll explain:
Semiconductor-grade silicon is ultra-pure silicon metal (I mean parts-per-billion atomic purity.) All the semi-grade Si in the world is produced in approximately the same way.
Silica (sand) is reduced to "metallurgical grade" silicon (~99.5% pure) in an arc furnace process, the sand is melted with a reducing agent (often carbon), and the molten metal is poured off. (this is a very cool process. The smelter has a hole in the bottom that is allowed to freeze shut with Si, and when they're ready to pour, someone shoots out the Si plug with a shotgun. Cool job)
This metallurgical grade Si is sold to intermediate producers who grind it to a fine powder, and react it with gaseous HCl in fluid bed reactors to generate chlorosilanes (H3SiCl, H2SiCl2, HSiCl3, SiCl4.) These chlorosilanes are then distilled to very high purity ~99.999% or more.
The chlorosilanes (different ones for different manufacturers) are then used in the Siemens process to produce semiconductor-grade POLYCRYSTALLINE silicon. The process works by Chemical Vapor Deposition. Ultra-pure silicon rods are placed in a reactor in an inverted U shape, and each end of the U is connected to an electrical circuit. The atmosphere inside the reactor is purged of all gasses and then chlorosilane vapors are introduced. Huge amounts of electricity are used to heat the U circuits to incandescence (imagen a 600 megawatt lightbulb) and the ultra-pure chlorosilanes decompose into Si and HCl at the surface of the rods.
The problem with the silicon, at this point, is that it's polycrystalline, not single crystal. In order to produce proper IC's, the crystal structure of the silicon must be perfect 1,1,1 crystal. Polycrystalline silicon (a.k.a. poly) is a random oriented growth where the crystal structures of many crstals have grown together. The poly is reduced in size and sent to a crystal pulling facility (wafer fab) where it is used in the Czoralski process for making wafers.
The CZ process consists of melting a large amount of poly, then dipping in a "seed" crystal. This perfect single-crystal specimen is "dipped" into the molten silicon while being rotated. The seed is then carefully "pulled" upwards while rotating, and the resulting ingot grows in diameter based on the pull speed, and several other factors (300mm is current state of the art.)
Once the pull is completed, a ~1000+ kg log of single crystal silicon is made, and is ready for final processing to wafers. The tapered ends are removed (top and tail) and the "log" is shaved down perfectly round and to the proper diameter. Diamond impregnated wire saws are used to slice the log into wafers, the wafers are lapped and polished, and they are ready to have IC's printed on them. (some are further processed, but you get the gist.
HTH
GM
Well, we can narrow the field by adding the fact that MIR's orbital period is about 90 min, and that re-entry has to occur somewhere near India to allow for a Pacific impact in the desired area.
With an altitude of around 280 mi, we're looking at about 18-25 min from re-entry to touchdown, so,
I'm going to guess 2001-03-22 07:35:18.
But that's just my WAG
Just where, pray tell, did I say that we should judgs success as "dominating the technical market?"
My point, as I thought I made very clearly, and others have said, as well, is that with the acceptance of linux into the mainstream market by such players as IBM, Shell, and Sam Goody, linux as a whole gains momentum and "mindshare" (ugh, marketingspeak) as well as credibility.
That makes it easier for IT personnell to convince silly management types to use linux as an alternative to OTHER COMMERCIAL OS'ES. This does not necessarily mean M$, but that is something that I would like to see.
As linux gains support as a desktop/server/research platform, it is valid to assume that it will begin to make a dent in M$'s share of the desktop/server marketplace, as well as other manufacturers big iron OS'es. This, in turn, forces these companies to work to supply better product to maintain their profit. (basic economics, if you can get the same functionality for free, why pay?)
I guess what I'm saying is that I don't define linux's success as dominating any market. I feel that success will bring more competition and innovation, a-la the Intel-AMD competition (well, maybe not so much innovation.)
It does my heart good to see the "Mainstream" media (OK, OK, it's only Yahoo, but come on, Joe Schmoe is more likely to read Yahoo than Wired or ZDNet right?) giving linux some good press. Even the purists have to believe that good things will come from the growing big business support that Linux is getting. When people start hearing that IBM, Sam Goodey, and now Shell Oil are using linux, that adds credibility to those of us who've been saying that linux wasw a viable alternative to MS for quite some time now.
;> )
Yes, yes, I think that MS does have its place. I have a Win98 machine on my desk (flame away, I can handle it.) I also have a dual linux machine that acts as my firewall/masq. and I've tried for quite some time to convince people that linux has its place. I have a friend that works in graphic design and won't even consider the gimp on relatively inexpensive hardware (even though he's used it on my boxen and LOVES it) because linux isn't "solid" enough for his business needs. Never mind that he's paying exorbinant(sp?) fees for that badass machine with photoshop etc. etc. and it spends more time crashed in a week than I've ever seen my linux boxen down. Granted it's different service, but still.
My point is, big companies embracing linux is a good thing for our collective credibility, as well as making it easier for managers to justify spending nothing on OS'es (and therefore more on sysadmins
The main practical use of bipedal robot research looks forward to the Jetsons-esque idea of robots in the home to assist with chores, help watch the kids, etc. Sure, there are more efficient forms for the robot, but a bipedal design is much more versitile because it moves the same way that we do. A major problem for wheeled/track-driven robots are that they've often had limited success with stairs, varied floor surfaces, etc. Since houses are designed for humans who (mostly) walk on 2 legs, a bipedal design for a robot makes it much less prone to problems moving around in an environment designed for bipedal humans to walk in.
While I am not terribly enthused about the seeming explosion of "silly patents," I tend to agree with streetlawyer here. The idea of clicking on an item, item's description, picture of an item, ascii rendition of an item . . . you get the picture. Seems pretty obvious to the relatively savvy folks around /. but there doesn't seem to be any real case for the "prior art" issue when you look at the facts. We may just have to accept that, even though it seems pretty silly, the Amazon patent is valid, and we're just going to have to deal with it (not necessarily like it).
IANAL, but my understanding of patent law is that, if I wanted to, I could patent a zepplin built from 40 mm titanium sheeting and filled with mercury as long as someone else hadn't already come up with the idea. hmmmm that would be a pretty cool project. . . Anybody got a few extra thermometers I could have?