Waferit

Waferit is a term used in the electronics manufacturing sector to refer to technologies, processes, or products that are implemented at the wafer level, meaning processing is performed on the entire silicon wafer before dicing into individual devices. It is not a formally defined standard and does not refer to a single company; rather, it has appeared in various contexts to describe wafer-level packaging, wafer thinning, backside processing, and related metrology and testing workflows.

Etymology and usage vary. The word is a concatenation of wafer and it, and there is no universally accepted origin or definition. In practice, waferit can denote either branding by a vendor or a descriptive shorthand for a workflow that aims to integrate multiple functions on the wafer. Wafer-level packaging (WLP) and wafer-level testing are common examples of wafer-level approaches that can reduce package size and potentially lower costs by eliminating or minimizing packaging steps after dicing.

Technologies and processes associated with waferit may include thin-film deposition, electroplating, lithography, etching, chemical mechanical polishing, and inline inspection, all performed while the wafer remains intact. These methods are often part of broader back-end-of-line (BEOL) strategies and are linked to advances in high-volume manufacturing and advanced packaging.

Applications span consumer electronics, mobile devices, MEMS sensors, and photovoltaic modules, where compact form factors or high-throughput production are advantageous. The term’s usage varies by company and region, which can lead to confusion with formal terminology such as WLP or BEOL processes. As with other wafer-level techniques, challenges include yield management, process complexity, and contamination control.