A die (pronunciation: /dʌɪ/) in the context of integrated circuits is a small block of semiconducting material, on which a given functional circuit is fabricated. Typically, integrated circuits are produced in large batches on a single wafer of electronic-grade silicon (EGS) or other semiconductor (such as GaAs) through processes such as photolithography. The wafer is cut (“diced”) into many pieces, each containing one copy of the circuit. Each of these pieces is called a die.
There are three commonly used plural forms: dice, dies, and die.
Single NPN bipolar junction transistor die.
Close-up of an RGB light-emitting diode, showing the three individual dice.
A small-scale integrated circuit die, with bond wires attached.
A VLSI integrated-circuit die.
Two dice bonded onto one chip carrier.
The "naked" die without chip carrier of a Cell processor.
Intel Xeon E7440 die, mounted on heat spreader. Die is 22×23 mm (506 mm2), and contains 900000000 transistors. 1