At the end of this chapter, a few remarks oneconomics may be of
interest. The fabrication of solid-state microelectronic devices (chips) was
in 1996 an $850 billion per year industry (worldwide) and a $5 trillion
business in 2009. This figure doesnotinclude the factory sales of complete
electronic systems in which these chips are incorporated (which is a factor
of 10 higher). The increase in value of the packaged circuit compared to
the raw material is roughly 10 millionfold if the starting material (sand) is
valued at a transportation cost of 3 cents per kilogram. The raw silicon can
be purchased for a few dollars per kg. The 98% pure polysilicon already
represents a value of $60 per kilogram and the silicon wafer sells for $2,000
per kilogram (about $100 for an 8 in. wafer or $1,000 per 12 inch wafer).
The next steps are big jumps: the processed wafer is valued at $25,000 per
kilogram, the raw chip costs $110,000, and the packaged chip is finally sold
to the computer manufacturers for $300,000 per kilogram.
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