This standard was technically approved by the global Traceability Committee. This edition was approved for publication by the global Audits and Reviews Subcommittee on May 16, 2006. It was available at www.semi.org in June 2006 and on CD-ROM in July 2006. Originally published in 1988; previously published November 2003.

This specification provides a serial alphanumeric marking of silicon or other semiconductor wafers. The wafer serial number links the properties of the wafer stored in an appropriate database system to each individual wafer for purposes of tracking and control during wafer and device manufacture.

By defining the basic code used for the mark, this specification ensures the consistency of wafer marking performed by wafer manufacturers. Thus, it allows simplification of the performance requirements of automatic optical character reading (OCR) equipment, provides for unassisted and immediate human readability without wafer handling, and facilitates resolution of wafer level process variations.

The marking code is intended to be valid for a broad range of wafer products (i.e., epi, SOI, processed polished wafers, etc.).

This specification defines the geometric and spatial limits of the alphanumeric code, specifically for serial identification of flatted and notched silicon wafers.

This specification does NOT address the marking techniques that may be employed when complying with this standard.

Referenced SEMI Standards
SEMI M13 — Specification for Alphanumeric Marking of Silicon Wafers

Revision History
SEMI M12-0706 (technical revision)
SEMI M12-1103 (technical revision)
SEMI M12-0303 (technical revision)
SEMI M12-0998E (editorial revision)
SEMI M12-0998 (technical revision)
SEMI M12-92 (technical revision)
SEMI M12-89 (technical revision)
SEMI M12-88 (first published)