Creating a Mask

The product designer's computerized drawing of each circuit layer is transformed into a mask, or reticle, a glass or quartz plate with an opaque material (such as chrome) formed to create the pattern. The number of layers dependson the complexity of the chip's logic. The Pentium™ processor, for example, contains 20 layers. When all these unique layers are combined, they create the millions of transistors and circuits that make up the architecture of the proc