Microcircuits chemical manufacturing processes

The medium used for the transmission of information and data over distances has evolved from copper wire to optical fiber. It is quite likely that no wire-based information transmission systems will be installed in the future. The manufacture of optical fibers, like that of microcircuits, is almost entirely a chemical process. 

Initial synthesis of GMC for process development and optimization studies was accomplished on a small laboratory scale with synthetic runs typically yielding 5-15 g of polymer. However, in order to test GMC on a production basis and introduce it into manufacture, scale-up of the synthesis was necessary. The control of molecular properties and composition had to be considerably better than for most commercial polymers. To this end, a pilot plant for the manufacture of GMC was designed, constructed, and used to produce kilogram quantities of polymer. The scale-up of GMC provides an excellent example of how basic chemical engineering principles are employed in microcircuit fabrication, as well as some of the challenges in synthesis, process control, and purification. The major components of the pilot plant are shown in Fig. 6. 

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