Glossary

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Term	Definition
Fab	Fabrication facility. The manufacturing plan where the front-end process of making semiconductors on silicon wafers is completed. Package and assembly (back-end) stages are typically completed at other sites.
Fabless	A semiconductor company with no wafer fabrication capability.
Falex Test (Pin & Block)	An industry accepted test of lubricity, anti-weld, and load-carrying capabilities of various lubricants and additives.
Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG)	Constituents of metal working fluids that, when released into natural water, can slow the transfer of oxygen from the air into the water. This is a test based on the mutual solubility of several groups of substances in the solvent used. These substances include fatty acids, soaps, waxes, oils and other material extracted by the solvent.
Ferrous Metals	Metals containing iron, especially with a valence of 2 or a valence lower than in a corresponding ferric compound. For example, Cast Iron, Alloy Steel, Tool Steel, and Stainless Steel.
Fine Pitch	Fine pitch is surface-mount components with a lead pitch of 25 mils or less.
Fire Point	The lowest temperature at which, under specified conditions in standardized apparatus, a liquid organic compound or solution will burn with a sustained flame when ignited.
Flash Point	The lowest temperature at which vapors arising from an oil will ignite momentarily (i.e., flash) when exposed to a flame. Methods include: Cleveland open cup or C.O.C., Tagge closed cup or T.C.C., Penske - Marten closed cup or P.M.C.C.
Flip Chip	One type of mounting used for semiconductor devices, like integrated circuits, which does not require wire bonds. Instead the final wafer processing step deposits solder beads on the chip pads. After cutting the wafer into individual dice, the flip chip is then mounted upside down in/on the package and the solder reflowed. Flip chips then normally undergo an underfill process which will cover the sides of the die, similar to the encapsulation process. The terminology flip chip comes from the upside down (flipped) mounting of the die. This leaves the chip pads and their solder beads facing down onto the package, while the back side of the die faces up. This mounting is also known as Controlled Collapse Chip Connection or C4.
Flux	The material used to remove oxides from metal surfaces and allow wetting of the metal with solder.
Foam	Gas dispersed in a liquid causing an increase in the volume of the liquid. Usually seen as bubbles on the surface of the liquid that may break quickly or be quite stable.
Focus Center	A university center that leads a consortium of other universities in researching a specific challenge to the long-range advancement of semiconductor technologies.
Forging	The process of working metal to a desired shape by impact or pressure in hammers, forging machines (upsetters), presses, rolls, and related equipment.
Fouling	See adsorption.
Foundry	A wafer production and processing plant. Usually denotes a facility that is available on a contract basis for companies that do not have wafer fab capabilities.
Free Fatty Acid	The amount of fatty acid present in a metal working fluid that has not been neutralized by inorganic alkaline materials or chemical reaction.
Free Oil	The amount of oil in a metal working fluid mix that easily separates and floats on the top of the fluid.
Freeze Point	The temperature at which a fluid will cease to flow under a definite set of conditions.
Friction	The resistance to motion between two bodies under the action of an external force.
FTIR	Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy. An instrumental method of analysis used for qualitative identification of organic and inorganic compounds. The technique can sometimes be used for quantitative analysis of mixtures of materials.
Fullerenes	Fullerenes are one of only four types of naturally occurring forms of carbon (the other three are diamond, graphite and ceraphite). They are molecules composed entirely of carbon and take the form of a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, or tube. Sperical fullerenes are often called buckyballs (named after Buckminster Fuller, inventor of the geodesic dome), while cylindrical fullerenes are referred to as buckytubes or nanotubes.
Fungi	Multi-celled aerobic microorganisms. Fungi can grow on most machine surfaces, splash areas, dead spaces, and similar interfaces which are not regularly cleaned. Fungi will develop into visible masses if given the opportunity.