Abstract:
A spherical shaped semiconductor integrated circuit (“ball”) and a system and method for manufacturing same. The ball replaces the function of the flat, conventional chip. The physical dimensions of the ball allow it to adapt to many different manufacturing processes which otherwise could not be used. Furthermore, the assembly and mounting of the ball may facilitates efficient use of the semiconductor as well as circuit board space.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE 
     This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 09/086,872, filed May 29, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,396 which is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/858,004, filed May 16, 1997, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,955,776 which claims priority from provisional application Ser. No. 60/032,340, filed Dec. 4, 1996, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates generally to semiconductor integrated circuits, and more particularly, to a spherical shaped semiconductor integrated circuit and a system and method for manufacturing same. 
     Conventional integrated circuits, or “chips”, are formed from a flat surface semiconductor wafer. The semiconductor wafer is first manufactured in a semiconductor material manufacturing facility and is then provided to a fabrication facility, or “fab.” At the fab, several layers are processed onto the semiconductor wafer surface. Once completed, the wafer is then cut into one or more chips and assembled into packages. Although the processed chip includes several layers fabricated thereon, the chip still remains relatively flat. 
     To own and operate a modern wafer manufacturing facility, fab, and assembly facility, tremendous resources must be assembled. For example, a single fab typically cost several billion dollars, and therefore requires a great deal of capital and commitment. This high level of capital and commitment is compounded by many problems inherent to both chips and fabs. 
     Many of these problems reflect on the enormous effort and expense required for creating silicon wafers and chips. For example, manufacturing the wafers requires creating rod-form polycrystalline semiconductor material; precisely cutting ingots from the semiconductor rods; cleaning and drying the cut ingots; manufacturing a large single crystal from the ingots by melting them in a quartz crucible; grinding, etching, and cleaning the surface of the crystal; cutting, lapping and polishing wafers from the crystal; and heat processing the wafers. Moreover, the wafers produced by the above process typically have many-defects. These defects can be attributed to the difficulty in making a single, highly pure crystal due to the cutting, grinding and cleaning processes as well as impurities associated with containers used in forming the crystals. For example, oxygen is a pronounced impurity associated with the quartz crucible. These defects become more and more prevalent as the integrated circuits formed on these wafers contain smaller and smaller dimensions. 
     A problem associated with modern fabs is that they require many different large and expensive facilities. For example, fabs require dust-free clean rooms and temperature-controlled manufacturing and storage areas to prevent the wafers and chips from defecting and warping. The amount of dust in the clean rooms is directly proportional to the end quality of the chips. Also, warping is especially problematic during heat treatment processes. 
     Other problems associated with modern fabs result from their inherently inefficient throughput as well as their inefficient use of silicon. For example, modern fabs using in-batch manufacturing, where the wafers are processed by lots, must maintain huge inventories to efficiently utilize all the equipment of the fab. Also, because the wafers are round, and completed chips are rectangular, the peripheral portion of each wafer cannot be used. 
     Still another problem associated with modern fabs is that they do not produce chips that are ready to use. Instead, there are many additional steps that must be completed, including: cutting and separating the chip from the wafer; assembling the chip to a lead frame which includes wire bonding, plastic or ceramic molding and cutting and forming the leads, positioning the assembled chip onto a printed circuit board; and mounting the assembled chip to the printed circuit board. The cutting and assembly steps introduce many errors and defects due to the precise requirements of such operations. In addition, the positioning and mounting steps are naturally two-dimensional in character, and therefore do not support curved or three dimensional areas. 
     Therefore, due to these and various other problems, only a few companies in the world today can successfully manufacture conventional chips. Furthermore, the chips must bear a high price to cover the costs of manufacturing, as well as the return on initial capital and investment. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention, accordingly, provides a spherical shaped semiconductor integrated circuit and a system and method for manufacturing same. The spherical shaped semiconductor integrated circuit, hereinafter “ball”, replaces the function of the flat, conventional chip. The physical dimensions of the ball allow it to adapt to many different manufacturing processes which otherwise could not be used. Furthermore, the assembly and mounting of the ball facilitates efficient use of semiconductor material as well as circuit board space. 
     An advantage achieved with the present invention is that it supports semiconductor processing using wafting in a vacuum, gas or liquid. Such wafting may be in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that it supports semiconductor processing while the ball is moving through a pipe, tube, or container. Such movement may be in a vertical, horizontal or diagonal direction. Furthermore, the pipe or tube can be continuous, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for a clean room environment. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that it supports semiconductor processing at ultra-high temperatures, including such temperatures at or above conventional semiconductor material warping or melting points. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that it facilitates crystal formation in that a spherical crystal is naturally formed by its own surface tension. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that the spherical shape of the ball provides much greater surface area on which to inscribe the circuit. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that the spherical shape of the ball withstands external forces better than the conventional chip. As a result, conventional assembly packaging is not always required with the ball. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that the spherical shape of the ball allows one ball to be connected directly to a circuit board or clustered with another ball. Such clustering enables three-dimensional multi-active layers and multi-metal layers in any direction. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that it allows a single, relatively small facility to manufacture the semiconductor material as well as perform the fabrication. Furthermore, the requirements for assembly and packaging facilities are eliminated. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that it reduces manufacture cycle time. 
     Another advantage achieved with the present invention is that a single fabrication structure can be commonly used for many different processing steps. 
     Other advantages, too numerous to mention, will be well appreciated by those skilled in the art of semiconductor fabrication. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 provides a flow chart for making and using a spherical shaped semiconductor integrated circuit embodying features of the present invention. 
     FIG. 2 illustrates a return-type fluid bed repetitive reactor for manufacturing granular semiconductor polycrystal. 
     FIG. 3 illustrates a descending-type wafting treatment device used as a granular single crystal furnace for processing the polycrystal of FIG.  2 . 
     FIG. 4 illustrates a spherical surface polishing system for polishing a spherical semiconductor single crystal. 
     FIG. 5A illustrates a floating-type treatment device for processing the crystal of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 5B provides a close-up view of part of the floating-type treatment device of FIG.  5 A. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates a movement-type treatment device for processing the crystal of FIG.  4 . 
     FIG. 7 illustrates a descending-type treatment device for processing the ball. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates an ascending-type treatment device for processing the ball. 
     FIG. 9 illustrates a descending-type wafting treatment device used as a diffusion furnace for processing the ball. 
     FIG. 10 is a descending-type treatment device with electrodes for processing the ball. 
     FIG. 11 is a descending-type treatment device with coating sprayers for processing the ball. 
     FIG. 12 is a descending-type treatment device with gas sprayers for processing the ball. 
     FIG. 13 illustrates a spherical surface mask for use in photo exposure processing. 
     FIG. 14 illustrates a spherical slit drum for use in photo exposure processing. 
     FIG. 15 illustrates a fixed-type photo exposure system. 
     FIG. 16 illustrates a ball with alignment marks used in photo exposure processing. 
     FIG. 17 illustrates a first mounting system for used with the first fixed-type photo exposure system of FIG.  15 . 
     FIG. 18 illustrates a second mounting system for used with the first fixed-type photo exposure system of FIG.  15 . 
     FIG. 19 illustrates a conveyor system used with the second mounting system of FIG.  18 . 
     FIG. 20 illustrates a positioner system used with the second mounting system of FIG.  18 . 
     FIG. 21 illustrates a pivotal arm system used with the second mounting system of FIG.  18 . 
     FIG. 22 illustrates a reflecting-type photo exposure system. 
     FIG. 23 illustrates a descending-type photo exposure system. 
     FIG. 24 illustrates a finished version of the ball. 
     FIG. 25 illustrates many balls mounted to a circuit board. 
     FIG. 26 illustrates a VLSI circuit made by clustering several balls. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the reference numeral  100  generally designates a manufacturing system for creating and configuring spherical shaped semiconductor integrated circuits (“balls”). For the remainder of the description, the process will be described with respect to silicon, it being understood that any semiconductive material can be used. 
     Initially, a crystal formation process  110  forms a single spherical crystal. Upon formation of the spherical crystal, a fabrication process  120  constructs a circuit onto the spherical crystal to form the balls. Once fabricated, a clustering process  130  connects the balls with each other and other devices, such as a printed circuit board. 
     I. Formation of Granular Polycrystal and a Single Spherical Crystal 
     Conventionally, there have been three prevalent methods for manufacturing granular polycrystal semiconductor. One method is to crush a polycrystal rod or ingot. Another method utilizes fluid bed reaction by supplying powder form polycrystal to a fluid bed reactor. A third method involves melting semiconductor material in an inert gas and “blowing off” or dropping the melted semiconductor. These three methods have many associated problems. For one, each of the above methods is very labor intensive, especially as the size of the polycrystal increases to support larger and larger diameter wafers. As a result, they are all fairly expensive and result in a relatively poor yield of quality product. In addition, the granules are not uniform in size and weight, particularly with the fluid bed reactor method. 
     A. A GRANULAR POLYCRYSTAL PROCESSING SYSTEM 
     Referring to FIG. 2, a return-type repetitive fluid bed reactor furnace  200  grows silicon polycrystalline powder  202  into graular polycrystals. The fluid bed reactor furnace  200  uses a fluid bed reaction process, operating at a high temperature over a very short time, to grow the powder  202  from a crushed silicon ingot or other source. As a result, the fluid bed reactor furnace  200  produces granules that are relatively uniform in size and weight. 
     The fluid bed reactor furnace  200  contains a furnace compartment  204 , a supporting stand  206 , a weight sorter  208  and a plurality of pipes including return pipes  210 ,  212 , gas pipes  214 ,  216 ,  218 ,  220 ,  222 , exhaust pipe  224  and material conveyance pipes  226 ,  228 . Attached to the furnace compartment  204  are heaters  230 ,  232 . 
     In operation, the silicon polycrystalline powder  202 , in powder or sand form, enters the furnace compartment  204  through the material conveyance pipe  226 . Simultaneously, a gas such as monosilane SiH 4  is injected from the bottom of the furnace compartment  204  through gas pipes  218 ,  220 . The powder  202  and the SiH 4  mix to form a fluid bed reaction layer inside the furnace compartment  204 . The fluid bed reaction layer is heated by heaters  230  and  232 . 
     As the powder  202  is mixing in the furnace compartment  204 , it grows in size such that it eventually falls into the weight sorter  208 . At the weight sorter  208 , rejected granules  234 , which are lighter than a predefined weight, are returned to the fluid bed reaction layer through the return pipes  210 ,  212 . However, granules  236  meeting the predefined weight are exported through the material conveyance pipe  228 . Also, exhaust gas is discharged through the exhaust pipe  224 . 
     As the granules  236  are exported through the material conveyance pipe  228 , a carrier gas (not shown) is injected through the gas pipe  222  to help carry the granules. In addition, by injecting an appropriate amount of impurity to the carrier gas, the silicon of the granules  236  can be doped to become n-type or p-type silicon, as desired. Furthermore, by connecting several fluid bed reactor furnaces  200  in series, the granules  236  can also be manufactured by a repetitive fluid bed reaction process. 
     B. A SYSTEM FOR MANUFACTURING SMALL GRANULAR SINGLE CRYSTALS 
     Referring to FIG. 3, a descending-type wafting treatment device  300  is used to manufacture a small granular single crystal. The wafting device  300  includes a furnace compartment  302 , a supporting stand  304 , a landing table  306  and a plurality of pipes including gas pipes  308 ,  310 , an exhaust pipe  312 , and material conveyance pipes  314 ,  316 . Attached to the furnace compartment  302  are several pre-heaters  318 , ultra-high temperature heaters  320 , and low temperature heaters  322 , thereby forming a preheat zone  324 , an ultra-high temperature zone  326 , and a low temperature zone  328 , respectively, inside the compartment. The ultra-high temperature zone  326  may alternatively, or additionally, be heated by other methods including high-frequency heating, laser beam heating or plasma heating. 
     In operation, each of the granules  236  (FIG. 2) enters the wafting device  300  through the material pipe  314 . The granules  236  first enter the preheat zone  324 , which has a temperature below the melting point of granular polycrystal silicon. The granules  236  then descend through an opening  330  into the ultra-high temperature zone  326 , which has a temperature far above the melting point of silicon. The ultra-high temperature zone  326  is filled with inert gas (not shown) containing impurities, which is piped in from gas pipes  308 ,  310 . The impurities carried with the inert gas also allow the granules  236  to be doped n-type or p-type, as required. The granules  236  melt as they descend through the ultra-high temperature zone  326 , the rate of descent being controlled by the inert gas flowing through the gas pipes  308 ,  310 . 
     Because each of the granules  236  have melted, they become spherical in shape due to surface tension, and thereby take the form of a granular single crystal  340 . The granular single crystals  340  continue to descend into the low temperature zone  328 , where they harden. The low temperature zone  328  is of sufficient air pressure to assist the granular single crystals  340  in making a soft landing on the table  306 . 
     It is understood that the direction of flow through the wafting device  300  is not essential to the formation of the granular single crystals  340 . For example, an alternative embodiment is an ascending-type wafting device which propels the granular single crystals upwards by the injected gas. Therefore, for this device, as well as other devices described below, obvious modifications to direction of flow are therefore anticipated. 
     Referring to FIG. 4, although some of the granular single crystals  340  may already meet required specifications for diameter and roundness, it may be necessary to polish one or more of the granular single crystals  340  using a granular single crystal spherical surface polishing device  400 . The polishing device  400  includes an outer pipe  402 , an inner pipe  404  having a tapered section  406  and an expanded section  408 , and material conveyance pipes including a product inlet pipe  410 . A distance  412  between the inner surface of the outer pipe  402  and  1 he outer surface of the expanded section  408  defines the final diameter of the granular single crystals  340 . The polishing device  400  may be in a vertical, horizontal, or diagonal orientation to facilitate the polishing process. 
     In operation, the granular single crystals  340  enter the polishing device  400  through the inlet pipe  410  and fall into an area  414  defined by the tapered section  406  and the outer pipe  402 . The outer pipe  402  rotates in one direction while the inner pipe  404 , including the tapered section  406  and expanded section  408 , rotates in the opposite direction. Although not shown, the inlet pipe  410  also allows polishing material such as alumina powder and water to be introduced into the area  414 . As a result of the counter rotations of the pipes  402 ,  404 , along with the abrasive affects of the alumina powder and water, the granular single crystal  340  is polished into a spherical shape of a desired diameter. 
     The polishing device  400 , due to the polishing and grinding actions occuring within, creates a large amount of heat. Therefore, to cool the polishing device  400 , the pipe  402  includes conduits (not shown) to allow a cooling fluid to flow therethrough. Many other devices described below require cooling, it being understood that cooling fluids and alternative methods of cooling are well understood in the art, and will therefore not be further discussed. 
     C. SINGLE SPHERICAL CRYSTAL MANUFACTURING 
     Referring to FIG. 5A, a spiral-type floating treatment device  500  is used to grow a single spherical crystal by epitaxial growth. The spiral device  500  includes a furnace section  502 , a support stand  504 , a soft-landing table  506 , and a plurality of pipes, including material conveyance pipes  508 ,  510 , gas pipes  512 ,  514 ,  516 , an exhaust pipe  518 , and heaters  520 ,  622 . The heaters  520 ,  522  define zones inside the spiral device  500 , including a preheating zone  524  and a high temperature epitaxial growth zone  526 , respectively. 
     Referring also to FIG. 5B, the material conveyance pipe  508  connects to a float pipe  528  which is a continuous, spiral shaped pipe inside and coaxial with the gas pipe  512 . The float pipe  528  is spot-welded to the gas pipe  512  so that a liquid can flow between the two. In the present embodiment, the liquid is monosilane gas, mixed with other gases such as argon, hydrogen or helium. For simplicity, the liquid will hereinafter be referred to as a carrier gas  530 . The granular single crystal  340  moves through the float pipe  528 , while the carrier gas  530  moves through the spiral pipe  512 . The carrier gas  530  enters the gas pipe  512 , under pressure, through gas inlet pipes  514 ,  516 , and is exhausted through the gas outlet pipe  518 . The float pipe  528  includes a plurality of very small gas apertures  532  so that the carrier gas  530  can flow therethrough and support the granular single crystal  340  inside the float pipe  528 . As a result, the granular single crystal  340  “floats” on the carrier gas inside the float pipe  528 , thereby avoiding direct contact with the float pipe. 
     In operation, each granular single crystal  340  enters the spiral device  500  through the material conveyance pipe  508 , which connects to the float pipe  528 . The granular single crystal  340  then begins to travel down the float pipe  528 , pulled by gravity and floating on the carrier gas  530 . The granular single crystal  340  moves through the preheating zone  524  into the epitaxial growth zone  526 . 
     Upon entering the epitaxial growth zone  526 , the granular single crystal  340  begins to epitaxially grow. Impurity concentration and rate of epitaxial growth can be controlled by the temperature of the epitaxial growth zone  526 , as well as impurities injected into the gas pipe  512  through the carrier gas  530 . Finally, the granular single cresyl  340  has epitaxially grown into a nearly perfect sphere, hereinafter referred to as a crystal sphere  540 . The crystal sphere  540  then exits the float pipe  528 , lands on the soft-landing table  506 , is cooled, and proceeds through the material conveyance pipe  510 . 
     Referring to FIG. 6, a movement-type floating treatment device  600  is another apparatus for epical growing the single spherical crystal  340 . The movement device  600  includes a furnace section  602 , a support stand  604 , heaters  606 , and a plurality of pipes, including a material conveyance pipe  608  connected to a float pipe  610 , gas pipes  612 ,  614 , and an exhaust pipe  616 . The float pipe  610  and gas pipe  612  operate in a manner similar to the float pipe  528  and the gas pipe  512 , respectively, of FIG.  5 B. Furthermore, the heaters  606  define zones inside the movement device  600 , including a preheating zone  618 , a cooling zone  620  and a high temperature epitaxial growth zone  622 . 
     In operation, the granular single crystal  340  enters the movement device  600  through the material conveyance pipe  608 . The granular single crystal  340  then begins to travel down the material conveyance pipe  608 , being pulled by gravity and floating on the carrier gas  530  from gas pipe  614 . The granular single crystal  340  moves through the preheating zone  618  into the epitaxial growth zone  622 . 
     Upon entering the epitaxial growth zone  622 , the granular single crystal  340  begins to epitaxially grow. Impurity concentration and the rate of epitaxial growth can be controlled by the temperature of the epitaxial growth zone  622 , the angle of the material conveyance pipe  608 , and the impurities injected into the gas pipe  612  through the carrier gas  530 . Finally, the granular single crystal  340  has epitaxially grown into the crystal sphere  540 , similar to that of FIG.  5 . The crystal sphere  540  then exits the movement device  600  through the material conveyance pipe  608 . 
     Because the crystal sphere  540 , and all of its predecessors, are small, light and round, the entire manufacturing process described above can be easily automated. For example, inlet product pipes of one device can be mated with outlet product pipes of a predecessor device. Therefore, because the entire process can be formed out of continuous pipes, the introduction of contaminants is greatly reduced. 
     II. Fabrication of the Ball 
     Fundamentally, fabrication of a ball includes the same basic processing steps used by conventional chip or wafer fabrication. Wafer fabrication is implemented by exposing mask patterns to the surface of the semiconductor wafer and implementing processing or treatment operations to the wafer surface. The processing or treatment operations can be further described as: de-ionized water cleaning, developing and wet etching; diffusion, oxidation and deposition of films; coating; exposure; plasma etching, sputtering and ion implantation; ashing; and epitaxial growth. 
     The fabrication equipment described below may facilitate several different methods and each of the methods can be used to perform different processing operations. For example, a wafting processing treatment method can be used for cleaning, drying, or making films on the crystal spheres  540  as they travel therethrough, examples of which are described below. 
     Therefore, the fabrication processes and equipment described below are not listed in any particular sequence. Also, it is understood that many of the processes will be repeated. Further still, the processes described below are not intended to be exclusive of all the fabrication processes, but are intended to illustrate sample processes to provide a clear understanding of the invention. Because the sequence and repetition of the processes may be different, the crystal sphere  540  will, for the following discussion and following figures relating to fabrication, be referred to as a ball  700 , even though it goes through many changes during fabrication. 
     A. CLEANING PROCESS 
     Conventional wafer processing cleans wafers by fixing a lot of wafers onto a wafer boat and dipping both into large reservoirs of de-ionized water. Many problems are associated with this method. For one, the time and cost of replacing the de-ionized water with fresh water is significant. Further, the entire process requires large and expensive reservoirs. 
     Referring to FIG. 7, a descending-type wafting device  702  performs a cleaning process on the ball  700 . The wafting device  702  includes a processing pipe  704  with a product inlet  706 , a product outlet  708 , a de-ionized water inlet  710 , a de-ionized water outlet  712 , and a product guide  714 . 
     In operation, the ball  700  enters the product inlet  706  and begins to descend towards the product outlet  708 . The rate of descent is affected by the de-ionized water  716  flowing through the processing pipe  704  and gravitational pull on the ball. The de-ionized water  716  is flowing in a direction opposite to that of the descending ball  700 . Before the product guide  714  directs the ball  700  to the product outlet  708 , the “freshest” de-ionized water is being used to clean the ball. 
     Referring to FIG. 8, an ascending-type wafting device  800  may also be used to clean the ball  700 . The wafting device  800  includes a processing pipe  802  with a product inlet  804 , a product outlet  806 , a de-ionized water inlet  808 , a de-ionized water, outlet  810 , and a product guide  812 . 
     In operation, the ball  700  enters the product inlet  804  and begins to ascend towards the product outlet  806 . The rate of ascension is affected by the de-ionized water  814  flowing through the processing pipe  802  and gravitational pull on the ball; the flow rate of the de-ionized water being greater than that of the ball. The de-ionized water  814  is flowing in the same direction as the ascending ball  700 . The product guide  812  directs the ball  700  from the product inlet  804  to the product outlet  806 . 
     As a result, both the ascending-type and descending-type wafting devices  800 ,  702  clean the ball  700  without the use of conventional de-ionized water tanks, support a steady flow of balls, and are relatively small in size. In addition, the ball  700  remains in a hermetically sealed environment, and therefore is less likely to become contaminated. Furthermore, the ascending-type and descending-type wafting devices  800 ,  702  can be combined, such as by the connecting product outlet  806  to the product inlet  706 , to better facilitate cleaning. Such combination of devices can be similarly implemented in the remaining process steps to better facilitate the respective process. 
     B. WET-ETCHING 
     Conventional wet etching is similar to conventional cleaning processes, and has similar problems. For one, wet etching typically requires large tanks of chemicals for performing the etching process. In addition, once wafers have been removed from the tanks, the wafers are suspect to contamination by being exposed to surrounding air. In contrast, the two above described wafting devices (FIGS. 7,  8 ) may also be used for the wet etching process. The operation of the wafting devices is the same as described with reference to. FIGS. 7,  8 , except instead of de-ionized water, etching chemical is used. As a result, the wet etching process enjoys the same benefits as described above with the cleaning process. 
     C. DIFFUSION 
     Conventionally, the maximum temperature for diffusion of impurities into a wafer is limited to about 1200° C. because of the tendency of the wafer to warp. As a result, impurity diffusion takes tens of hours to complete. In contrast, because of the spherical shape of the ball  700 , warpage is less of a concern, the diffusion temperature can be significantly higher and the processing speed becomes much quicker. 
     Referring to FIG. 9, a descending-type diffusion furnace  900  performs a diffusion process on the ball  700 . The diffusion furnace  900  includes a furnace compartment  902 , a supporting stand  904 , a landing table  906  and a plurality of pipes including gas pipes  908 ,  910 , an exhaust pipe  912 , and material conveyance pipes  914 ,  916 . Attached to the furnace compartment  902  are pre-heaters  918 , ultra-high temperature heaters  920 , and low temperature heaters  922 , thereby forming a preheat zone  924 , an ultra-high temperature zone  926 , and a low temperature zone  928 , respectively. The ultra-high temperature zone  920  may alternatively, or additionally, be heated by other methods including high-frequency heating, laser beam heating or plasma heating. 
     In operation, the ball  700  enters the diffusion furnace  900  through the product inlet pipe  914 . The ball  700  first moves through the preheat zone  924 , which has a temperature below the melting point of silicon. The ball  700  then descends through an opening  930  into the ultra-high temperature zone  926 , which has a temperature far above the melting point of silicon. The ultra-high temperature zone  926  is filled with gas (not shown) containing impurities which is piped in from gas pipes  908 ,  910 . As the ball  700  passes through the ultra-high temperature zone  926 , it diffuses instantly by having its surface melt and diffuse with the impurities in the gas. The gas also reduces the rate of descent of the falling ball  700 . The ball  700  then enters the low temperature zone  928  where its surface re-crystallizes and the rate of descent is greatly reduced until it lands on the table  906 . 
     D. OXIDATION 
     Conventional oxidation of silicon wafers has several problems. For one, oxidation is typically done to many wafers at a time. As a result, the oxidation film from wafer to wafer, as well as the film on each wafer, is subject to variability. In addition, oxidation takes a long time due to the warping tendencies discussed above with reference to diffusion. In contrast, the above described diffusion furnace  900  (FIG. 9) may also be used to perform the oxidation process. The operation for oxidation is the same as for diffusion, except instead of impurity laden gas, oxygen is used. As a result, the oxidation process enjoys the same benefits as described above with reference to the diffusion process. In addition, the ball  700  remains in a hermetically sealed environment, and therefore is less likely to become contaminated. 
     E. SPUTTERING, DEPOSITION AND DRY ETCHING 
     Referring to FIG. 10, a descending-type plasma device  1000  performs a process for sputtering of metals, deposition of various films, and a dry etching, collectively referred to as a plasma process, on the ball  700 . The plasma device  1000  includes a processing pipe  1002  with a product inlet  1004 , a product outlet  1006 , a gas inlet  1008 , and a gas outlet  1010 . The gas inlet  1008  forms a product guide  1012  and a product soft-landing pipe  1014  having a plurality of apertures for gas (not shown) to flow through. The plasma device  1000  also includes positive and negative electrodes  1016 ,  1018 , respectively, a radio frequency (“RF”) power supply  1020  and a main power supply  1022 . The electrodes  1016 ,  1018  line the interior of the pipe  1002  and thereby form an plasma zone  1024 . It is understood, however, that the electrodes  1016 ,  1018  may also represent metal plates or radio-frequency coils placed on the exterior of the pipe  1002 . Furthermore, the plasma device  1000  includes a preheater  1026  which defines a preheat zone  1028 . 
     In operation, the ball  700  enters the product inlet  1004  and begins to descend towards the product outlet  1006 . The ball  700  first enters the preheat zone  1028 . The ball then descends into the plasma zone  1024  and is processed and treated as it moves therethrough. Gas is injected from the pipe  1008  through apertures  1030  for processing the ball  700  and for controlling the ball&#39;s rate of descent. It is understood that different gases, RF frequency, and power are utilized for different processes in a manner well understood in the art. 
     F. COATING 
     Coating is used for several processes. For one, coating is used for applying photo resist. Also, coating is used to apply a colored paint for protecting and labeling the finished ball. 
     Referring to FIG. 11, a descending-type coating device  1100  performs a coating process on the ball  700 . The coating device  1100  includes a processing pipe  1102  with a product inlet  1104 , a product outlet  1106 , a gas inlet  1108 , and a gas outlet  1110 . The gas inlet  1108  also forms a product guide  1112  and a product soft-landing pipe  1114  having a plurality of apertures  1115  for gas to flow through. The coating device  1100  also includes preheater coils  1116 , heater coils  1118 , and sprayers  1120 ,  1122 ,  1124 ,  1126 . The coils  1116 ,  1118  line the exterior of the pipe  1102  and thereby form a preheat zone  1128  and a drying zone  1130 , respectively. The sprayers  1120 ,  1122 ,  1124 ,  1126  are accessible to the interior of the pipe  1102  and thereby form a coating zone  1132 . 
     In operation, the ball  700  enters the product inlet  1104  and begins to descend towards the product outlet  1106 . The ball  700  first enters the preheat zone  1128 . The ball  700  then descends into the coating zone  1132 . The sprayers eject a fine haze of coating material on the ball  700 . The ball  700  then enters the drying zone  1130 . Gas, injected through the pipe  1108 , facilitates drying as well as controls the rate of descent of the ball  700 . The ball then enters the soft-landing pipe  1114  where the apertures  1115  direct the gas against the ball. Furthermore, the gas forces the haze of coating material back up towards the exhaust pipe  1110 . The gas from the apertures  1134  can also spin the ball  700  to better facilitate coating and drying. 
     Referring to FIG. 12, a descending-type gas-coating device  1200  also performs a coating process on the ball  700 . The coating device  1200  includes a processing pipe  1202  with a product inlet  1204 , a product outlet  1206 , a gas inlet  1208 , and a gas outlet  1210 . The gas inlet  1208  also forms a product guide  1212  and a product soft-landing pipe  1214  having a plurality of apertures  1215  for gas to flow through. The coating device  1200  also includes preheater coils  1216 , heater coils  1218 , and gas sprayers  1220 ,  1222 ,  1224 ,  1226 . The coils  1216 ,  1218  line the exterior of the pipe  1202  and thereby form a preheat zone  1228  and a drying zone  1230 , respectively. The gas sprayers  1220 ,  1222 ,  1224 ,  1226  are accessible to the interior of the pipe  1202  and thereby form a polymerization zone  1232 . The coating device  1200  also includes a RF power supply  1230  and a main power supply  1232 . 
     In operation, the ball  700  enters the product inlet  1204  and begins to descend towards the product outlet  1206 . The ball  700  first enters the preheat zone  1228 . The ball  700  then descends into the polymerization zone  1232 . The sprayers  1220  and  1226  eject a first monomer gas and the sprayers  1222  and  1224  eject a second monomer gas. The first and second monomer gases combine to form a photo sensitive polymer gas such as poly-methyl-meta-acrylate (not shown). Reaction in the polymerization zone  1232  is facilitated by the heating energy from the RF power supply  1230  and the main power supply  1232 . As a result, a very thin photo-sensitive film can be attained on the ball  700  without using any liquid-form photo resist. The ball  700  then enters the soft-landing pipe  1214  where the apertures  1215  direct inert gas against the ball. The inert gas also forces the polymer gas up towards the exhaust pipe  1210 . 
     G. PHOTO EXPOSURE 
     Conventionally, wafers are placed on a flat surface where they receive photo processing to place circuit configurations on a top surface of the wafer. In contrast, the ball  700  receives photo processing across almost its entire surface. As a result, a larger surface area is available to receive the circuit configurations. For example, considering three structures: a square device, a round disk device, and a spherical device, each having a same radius “r” it is readily apparent that the surface area of each device is defined as 4r 2 , πr 2 , and 4πr 2 , respectively. Therefore, the spherical device has the greatest surface area available to support the circuit configurations. 
     There are several methods for performing photo exposure onto the ball  700 , including a fixed-type, a reflecting-type, a descending-type and an ascending-type exposure system. 
     Referring to FIG. 13, some photo exposure methods utilize a spherical shaped mask  1300 . The mask  1300  includes a transparent spherical surface  1302  having a top opening  1304  and a bottom opening  1306 . Once a layout drawing of the circuit configuration (not shown) has been prepared, using conventional layout techniques although slightly modified to support the spherical surface  1302 , the layout drawings are applied to the spherical surface using conventional techniques such as electron beam, x-ray, spherical surface plotter, or laser beam. The layout drawings may be applied to either the inside or outside of the surface  1302 , and the surface may also be cut in half to facilitate such application. 
     Referring to FIG. 14, some photo exposure methods also utilize a slit drum  1400 . The slit drum  1400  includes an opaque spherical surface  1402  having a top opening  1404 , a bottom opening  1406 , and a slit opening  1408 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 13-15, a fixed-type exposure system  1500  performs photo exposure onto the ball  700 . The exposure system  1500  fixes the mask  1300  in a stationary position. Surrounding the mask  1300  is the slit drum  1400  and surrounding the slit drum is a light system  1502 . The light system  1502  is capable of projecting light across the entire slit drum  1400 . The light system  1502  includes a top opening  1504  which aligns with the top openings  1304 ,  1404  of the mask and drum, respectively, and a bottom opening  1506  which aligns with the bottom openings  1306 ,  1406  of the mask and drum, respectively. The ball  700  is positioned at the center of the mask  1300  by a support stand  1508 . 
     In operation, the light system  1502  radiates light through the slit opening  1408 , through a corresponding portion of the mask  1300 , and onto a corresponding portion of the ball  700 . The masked light then reacts with photo-resist on the ball  700  to form the desired circuit configurations. The slit drum  1400  then rotates, thereby exposing the entire surface of the ball  700  to the mask  1300 . Alternatively, the slit drum  1400  may be located inside the mask  1300 , or may not be used at all. 
     Referring also to FIG. 16, the support stand  1508  has three support prongs  1600 ,  1602 ,  1604 . The support prongs  1600 ,  1602 ,  1604  meet with alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610 , respectively, on the ball  700 . The alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  are not equally spaced apart so that only one configuration of the ball  700  allows the marks to correctly join with the support prongs  1600 ,  1602 ,  1604 . As a result, the ball  700  can be placed in a predetermined position for photo processing. 
     The alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  can be made a number of ways. For one, the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  can be formed as indentations by a separate process (not shown). For another, the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  can be randomly selected for the first photo processing operation since initially it may be unimportant as to the location of the alignment marks. The first photo processing operation will then define the alignment marks for subsequent operations. 
     Once the support prongs  1600 ,  1602 ,  1604  contact with the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610 , respectively, the weight of the ball  700  secures the ball to the prongs. In addition, the support prongs  1600 ,  1602 ,  1604  may be further secured with the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  by vacuum suction. In either case, the support stand  1508  is used to place the ball at the central point of the mask  1300  during processing. Although not shown, the support stand  1508  can also support the ball  700  while it is being coated with photo resist. 
     Referring to FIG. 17, the reference numeral  1700  designates a system for placing the ball  700  onto the support stand  1508 . One or more balls  700  are first placed in a vibration chamber  1702 . The vibration chamber  1702 , uses an air pipe  1704  to vibrate and rotate one of the balls  700  until the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  are in a position to join with the support prongs  1600 ,  1602 ,  1604 . Such determination can be made by a camera  1706 . Once the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  are in position, the support stand  1508  moves to join the support prongs with the alignment marks. The stand  1508  then carries the ball  700  to the fixed-type exposure system  1500 . 
     Referring to FIG. 18, the reference numeral  1800  designates another system used for placing the ball  700  onto the support stand  1508 . The placement system  1800  includes two pivotal arm systems  1802 ,  1804 , two conveyor systems  1806 ,  1808 , a photo alignment system  1810 , and a computing device  1812 . 
     Referring also to FIG. 19, in operation, the ball  700  enters the placement system  1800  on the conveyor  1806 . The conveyor  1806  has several rubber cups  1900  on which the ball  700  may ride. In addition, the rubber cups  1900  have several vacuum ports  1902  to secure the ball  700  thereto. 
     Referring also to FIG. 20, the first pivotal arm  1802  removes the ball  700  from the conveyor  1806 . The first pivotal arm  1802  contains a controllable positioning system  2000 , a vertical arm  2002 , a horizontal arm  2004 , and a positioner  2006 . The positioning system  2000  is controlled by the computer  1812 , as discussed in greater detail below. The positioning system  2000  rotates the vertical arm  2002  about a longitudinal axis  2008  as well as raises and lowers the vertical arm in a horizontal direction  2010 . The horizontal arm  2004  is fixed to the vertical arm  2002 . Both arms  2002 ,  2004  include vacuum and control lines for use by the positioner  2006 . The positioner can move in many different directions  2012 , and includes a vacuum cup  2014  for selectively engaging and disengaging with the ball  700 . 
     Referring also to FIG. 18, the computer  1812  instructs the first pivotal arm  1802  to remove the ball  700  from the conveyor  1806  and place it in front of the photo alignment system  1810 . The photo alignment system  1810  communicates with the computer  1812  to find the alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  (FIG.  16 ). The computer  1812  then adjusts the position of the ball  700  by manipulating the first positioner  2006  to a desired position. If the desired position is attained, as determined by the photo alignment system  1810 , the first pivotal arm  1802  rotates to place the ball  700  to be accessed by the second pivotal arm  1804 . If the desired position can not be attained, the first pivotal arm  1802  rotates to place the ball  700  on the second conveyor  1808 . The second conveyor  1808  then returns the ball  700  to the first conveyor  1806 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 18 and 21, the support stand  1508  is placed in and controlled by a pneumatic device  2100  of the second pivotal arm  1804 . The pneumatic device  2100 , which is used to raise and lower the support stand  1508 , is also attached to a gear system  2102 , all of which are controlled by the computer  1812 . The second pivotal arm  1804  rotates about a longitudinal axis  2104  to place the ball in one of three positions P 1 , P 2 , P 3 . In position P 1 , the pneumatic device  2100  raises the support stand to engage with the ball  700  at the appropriate alignment marks: The pneumatic device  2100  then lowers the support stand  1508 . In position P 2 , the pneumatic device  2100  is in position for the photo system  1500 . The pneumatic device  2100  then raises the support stand  1508  to position the ball  700  for photo processing, as described above. Once complete, the support stand  1508  lowers, the second pivotal arm  1804  rotates to the position P 3 , and the gear system  2102  causes the ball  700  to be off-loaded for the next process step. 
     Referring to FIG. 22, alternatively, a reflecting-type exposure system  2200  may perform photo exposure onto the ball  700 . The reflecting-type exposure system uses a flat mask  2202 , two lenses  2204 ,  2206 , and two mirrors  2208 ,  2210 . In operation, a light source  2212  emits light through the flat, quartz reticle, mask  2202 . A circuit drawn on the mask  2202  is then projected toward the ball  700 . A first portion  2214  of the circuit is projected through the lenses  2204 , reflected off the mirror  2210  and onto one face of the ball  700 . A second portion  2216  of the circuit drawing is reflected off the mirror  2208 , projected through the lenses  2206 , and onto a second portion of the ball  700 . As a result, a spherical circuit can be produced from a flat mask  2202 . 
     Referring to FIGS. 13 and 23, in another alternative embodiment, a descending-type exposure system  2300  may perform photo exposure onto the ball  700 . The descending-type exposure system  2300  requires the three alignment marks  1606 ,  1608 ,  1610  (FIG.  16 ), but does not affix the ball onto the support stand  1508 . In addition, the descending-type exposure system  2300  does not use the slit drum  1400  (FIG.  14 ). Instead, the descending-type exposure system  2300  includes several high speed, high resolution cameras such as cameras  2302 ,  2304 ,  2306  located above the opening  1304  of the mask  1300 . As the ball  700  falls past points  2308 ,  2310 ,  2312 , the cameras  2302 ,  2304 ,  2306  report the position of the ball  700 , and its orientation, to a computing device  2314 . The computing device then. predicts when the ball  700  will reach the central point of the mask  1300  and activates the photo system  1502  at the exact right time. In addition, the computing device  2314  also instructs a positioning device (not shown) to rotate and move the mask  1300  to accommodate the orientation of the ball  700 . 
     Although not shown, additional embodiments are inherent from the above mentioned embodiments. For example, an ascending-type exposure system is similar to the descending-type except that a forced gas causes the ball  700  to move upward past several lower-mounted cameras, to the central point of the mask  1300 , and out the opening  1304 . In addition, a second fixed-type exposure system behaves similarly to the exposure system of FIG. 15 except that the support stand  1508 , utilizing vacuum suction, enters the mask  1300  from the top opening  1304  for exposure, and then releases it to exit through the bottom opening  1306 . 
     H. COATING AND LEADS 
     Referring to FIG. 24, the ball  700  is coated with a protective paint  2500 . The paint  2500  is also colored for the purpose of product distinction. Once the paint  2500  has been applied, leads  2502  are added to the ball  700 . The leads can be applied by removing the colored paint  2500  from pads (not shown) on the ball, or the pads can be protected during the paint process to prevent any paint from being applied thereto. Solder balls, or reflow solder, are then physically and electrically attached to the pads. The solder balls serve as leads for connecting the ball to other devices, as discussed in greater detail below. 
     III. Clustering One or More Balls 
     Referring to FIG. 25, several different balls  2500 ,  2502 ,  2504 ,  2506 ,  2508 ,  2510 ,  2512  are shown. As a finished product, the balls  2500 - 2512  have solder bumps arranged at predefined intervals throughout their surface. As a result, the balls  2500 - 2508  can be easily mounted to a circuit board  2514 , a bottom portion of each ball resting directly on the circuit board. The ball  2500  has solder bumps  2516  arranged in a relatively small circle so that the ball  2500  can be mounted to the flat circuit board  2514 . The balls  2502 ,  2504  each have a first set of solder bumps  2518 ,  2520 , respectively, for mounting to the circuit board  2514  and a second set of solder bumps  2522 ,  2524  respectively for connecting to each other. The ball  2506  has many solder bumps  2526 . To electrically connect each solder bump  2526  to the circuit board  2514 , the ball  2506  is placed into a socket  2528 . The socket  2528  has pads  2530  that align with the solder bumps  2526  and electrical connections  2532  on a bottom surface for connecting the pads to the circuit board  2514 . The ball  2508  has solder bumps  2534 ,  2536 ; the ball  2510  has solder bumps  2538 ,  2540 ; and the ball  2512  has solder bumps  2542  so that the balls may connect to the board and to each other, as shown. 
     Referring to FIG. 26, multiple balls, designated generally by referenced numeral  2600 , are clustered together and to a circuit board  2602 . Several advantages are obtained from the clustering. By clustering the balls  2600  in different directions based on structural designing, they form a very large scale integrated (“VLSI”) circuit which may be assembled onto very complicated surfaces. For example, the VLSI circuit  2600  may be constructed inside a pipe or on an uneven surface. In addition, the distance between the balls is greatly reduced, thereby enhancing the overall operation of the VLSI circuit  2600 . 
     IV. Discrete Components 
     By using a spherical single crystal as a base material for manufacturing, spherical discrete semiconductor devices can be made. Examples of such discrete semiconductor devices includes registers, capacitors, inductors, and transistors. 
     For example, in conventional chip manufacturing, it is impossible to add any significant inductance to the chip. Although coils can be made on the chip, very little material can be located between the coils due to the relatively flat nature of the chip. As a result, the linkage for the inductor is very low. In contrast, the ball can be manufactured to a specific inductance in several ways. For one, sample spherical inductance is made by processing metal paths, or coils, around the ball. Because the core of the ball provides a significant amount of material between the coils, the linkage for the inductor can be significant. Furthermore, additional inductors can be added by adding additional metal layers. 
     Utilizing such inductance, several balls can be clustered to create a semiconductor antenna for sending and receiving radio frequency signals. In addition, an inductor-resistor oscillator can be easily produced. 
     V. Conclusion 
     The above described manufacturing system provides many advantages over conventional wafer and chip manufacturing and processes in addition to those stated above. 
     One advantage is that the entire process is extremely clean, and suffers little product loss due to contamination. Furthermore, most of the equipment can be hermetically sealed and interconnected by using a continuous pipe or tube. As a result, no clean room is required and there is no handling of the silicon product. 
     Another advantage is that most of the equipment can be interconnected by using a continuous pipe or tube. The use of pipes readily facilitates efficient “pipeline productions”, thereby reducing cycle time. Furthermore, individual crystal spheres are round and light, and can therefore easily float on a bed of liquids, also improving the production efficiency. 
     Another advantage is that no conventional packaging is required because the form is spherical and therefore no edges exist which are subject to breakage. 
     Another advantage is the low cost in constructing the polycrystal and single crystal when producing a spherical crystal. 
     Another advantage is the low cost in the diffusion, oxidation and other fabrication processes. 
     Another advantage is that manufacturing polycrystal and a single crystal can be extremely simplified and the yield for the single crystal is dramatically improved. 
     Another advantage is that the oxygen content in a single crystal is very low. 
     Another advantage is that there is no significant yield decrease due to warpage or varying wafer thickness as in conventional chip processing. 
     Another advantage is that clustering enables multi-layer metal wiring, multi-active layers, unique layout configurations for a VLSI circuit. Also, the necessity for multi-layer printed circuit board is reduced. 
     Another advantage is that conventional packaging activities, such as sawing, mounting, wire bonding, and molding, becomes unnecessary. 
     Another advantage is that compared to the area on a printed circuit board required by conventional chips, the ball requires much less area. 
     Another advantage is that machinery for production remains relatively small. 
     Although illustrative embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, a latitude of modification, change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure, and in certain instances, some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features. For example, additional or alternative processes and other ball configurations may be added without altering the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.