半导体行业观察·2025-09-26 01:11Core Insights - The article outlines the complex journey of smartphone processors from raw materials to finished products, highlighting the intricate processes involved in the semiconductor industry [2][4][6][8][10][12][13][15]. Group 1: Raw Material Extraction and Initial Processing - The journey begins at the Mina Serrabal quartz mine in Spain, where quartz is extracted and sorted by size before being transported to a processing facility [4]. - At the Sabón factory in La Coruña, Spain, quartz is mixed with dehydrated wood chips and heated in electric arc furnaces to produce metallurgical silicon [6]. Group 2: Purification and Crystal Growth - The metallurgical silicon, initially 98% pure, is sent to Wacker Chemie in Germany for further purification, achieving a purity of 99.9999999% through a series of chemical reactions [8]. - The purified silicon is then transported to GlobalWafers in Texas, where it undergoes the Czochralski process to create single-crystal silicon ingots [10]. Group 3: Wafer Fabrication - The silicon wafers are sent to TSMC's Fab 18 in Taiwan, where they are processed into advanced smartphone processors using cutting-edge equipment, including EUV lithography systems [12]. - The fabrication process involves multiple steps, including etching, chemical reactions, and metal deposition, resulting in wafers populated with identical processors [12]. Group 4: Packaging and Assembly - The processed wafers are then sent to ASE in Penang, Malaysia, for packaging, which provides mechanical protection and thermal management for the chips [13]. - Finally, the packaged chips are transported to a new Foxconn assembly plant in Bangalore, India, where they are integrated with other components to produce iPhones, with an expected annual output of 25 million units [15].