In semiconductor device fabrication, the various processing steps fall into four general categories: deposition, removal, patterning, and modification of electrical properties. Deposition is any process that grows, coats, or otherwise transfers a material onto the wafer. Available technologies consist of physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), electrochemical deposition (ECD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and more recently, atomic layer deposition (ALD) among others.
precipitously adv 1: very suddenly and to a great degree; conditions that precipitously increase the birthrate; prices rose sharply [syn: precipitously, sharply] 2: abruptly; in a precipitous manner; the mountains rose precipitously from the shore
preÂ·cipÂ·iÂ·taÂ·tion (prÄ­-sÄ­pâ²Ä­-tÄâ²shÉn) A form of water, such as rain, snow, or sleet, that condenses from the atmosphere and falls to the Earth's surface. precipitate, precipitation - Precipitate is from Latin praecipitare, to throw or drive headlong; precipitation first meant the action of falling or throwing down.