--- title: "Smoltek Glossary" canonical_url: "https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/" date: 2023-10-30 author: "Thomas Barregren" featured_image: "https://www.smoltek.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/glossary-jpg.webp" --- # Smoltek Glossary ![Age of AI downtown+2coins](https://www.smoltek.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/age-of-ai-downtown2coins.webp) ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#2d)2D Abbre­vi­a­tion of two-dimen­sion­al. It refers to things that take up space or hap­pen in two dimen­sions (plane). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#2-5d-integration)2.5D-integration An advanced tech­nique for [semi­con­duc­tor pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor-packaging) where [dice](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) are placed on an [inter­pos­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#interposer) that uses [through-sil­i­con vias](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#through-silicon-vias-tsv) and [redis­tri­b­u­tion lay­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#redistribution-layers-rdl) for inter­con­nect­ing the dice. Despite being close­ly pack­aged, dice in this con­fig­u­ra­tion com­mu­ni­cate through off-chip sig­nal­ing, akin to their oper­a­tion when placed in sep­a­rate pack­ages on a stan­dard [cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#3d)3D Abbre­vi­a­tion of three-dimen­sion­al. It refers to things that take up space or hap­pen in three dimensions. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#3d-packaging)3D-packaging The process of stack­ing dif­fer­ent inte­grat­ed cir­cuit dice with­in a sin­gle pack­age, using inter­posers for elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions. Unlike [3D inte­gra­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#3d-integration), this method does not involve alter­ing the sil­i­con itself but focus­es on pack­age-lev­el stack­ing. It pro­vides ver­sa­til­i­ty in com­bin­ing var­i­ous tech­nolo­gies and mate­ri­als and is less com­plex than 3D inte­gra­tion, offer­ing a prac­ti­cal solu­tion for inte­grat­ing diverse com­po­nents in a sin­gle package. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#3d-ic)3D IC A 3D inte­gra­tion tech­nique that uses 3D inte­gra­tion to cre­ate mul­ti­ple stacks of dice stacked on top of each and 2.5D inte­gra­tion to con­nect the stacks using a sil­i­con inter­pos­er. In jest, this is some­times called the 5.5D IC because it com­bines 2.5D and 3D. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#3d-integration)3D-integration Ver­ti­cal­ly stack­ing and inter­con­nect­ing sil­i­con wafers or dice to func­tion as a sin­gle device. This tech­nique, which uses [through-sil­i­con vias](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#through-silicon-vias-tsv) for direct lay­er-to-lay­er com­mu­ni­ca­tion, aims to enhance device per­for­mance and func­tion­al­i­ty in a com­pact space. It is char­ac­ter­ized by its ver­ti­cal inte­gra­tion approach, improved sig­nal trans­mis­sion speed, reduced pow­er con­sump­tion, and the need for pre­cise align­ment and bond­ing meth­ods, mak­ing it a com­plex yet effi­cient man­u­fac­tur­ing process. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#a)A See [*ampere*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ampere-a). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#absolute-permittivity)absolute permittivity A mea­sure of a material’s abil­i­ty to [polar­ize](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#polariziation) in response to an applied [elec­tric field](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electric-field) and there­by store elec­tri­cal ener­gy. It is often denot­ed ε. It quan­ti­fies the elec­tric polar­iz­abil­i­ty of a [dielec­tric](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dielectric). The high­er the absolute per­mit­tiv­i­ty, the more a mate­r­i­al can polar­ize and the more ener­gy it can store when sub­ject­ed to an elec­tric field. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ac)AC See [*alter­nat­ing cur­rent*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alternating-current-ac). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#active-component)active component A [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) that requires an exter­nal pow­er source to func­tion or can pro­vide pow­er to a cir­cuit. These com­po­nents are involved in func­tions like ampli­fi­ca­tion, rec­ti­fi­ca­tion, sig­nal pro­cess­ing, and pow­er gen­er­a­tion. Exam­ples include [tran­sis­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#transistor), diodes, [inte­grat­ed cir­cuits](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip), and batteries. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#advanced-packaging)advanced packaging Refers to inno­v­a­tive and sophis­ti­cat­ed tech­niques in [semi­con­duc­tor encap­su­la­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor-encapsulation) that aim to improve per­for­mance, reduce size, and inte­grate addi­tion­al fea­tures. This sub­set of semi­con­duc­tor pack­ag­ing goes beyond tra­di­tion­al meth­ods to address chal­lenges in high-per­for­mance com­put­ing, minia­tur­iza­tion, and com­plex cir­cuit inte­gra­tion. [3D pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#3d-packing) and [Sys­tem in Pack­age (SiP)](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#system-in-package-sip) are key tech­nolo­gies in advanced packaging. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#aem)AEM See [*anion exchange mem­brane*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-aem). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#aem-electrolysis)AEM electrolysis See [*anion exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolysis). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#aem-electrolyzer)AEM electrolyzer See [*anion exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#aem-water-electrolysis)AEM water electrolysis See [*anion exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#aem-water-electrolyzer)AEM water electrolyzer See [*anion exchange mem­brane water elec­trolyz­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-water-electrolyzer-aemwe). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ald)ALD See [*atom­ic lay­er depo­si­tion*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#atomic-layer-deposition-ald). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alk)ALK See [*alka­line*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alk-electrolysis)ALK electrolysis See [*alka­line elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-electrolysis). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alk-electrolyzer)ALK electrolyzer See [*alka­line elec­trolyz­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-electrolyzer). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alk-water-electrolysis)ALK water electrolysis See [*alka­line elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-water-electrolysis). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alk-water-electrolyzer)ALK water electrolyzer See [*alka­line water elec­trolyz­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-water-electrolyzer-aklwe). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alkaline)alkaline Adjec­tive describ­ing a sub­stance that is water sol­u­ble and has a pH greater than 7.0 or a solu­tion of such a substance. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alkaline-electrolysis)alkaline electrolysis [Elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis) char­ac­ter­ized by hav­ing [elec­trodes](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) oper­at­ing in a liq­uid alka­line [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte) solu­tion, typ­i­cal­ly potas­si­um hydrox­ide (KOH) or sodi­um hydrox­ide (NaOH). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alkaline-electrolyzer)alkaline electrolyzer [Elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer) for [alka­line elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-electrolysis). [Alka­line water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-water-electrolysis-aklwe) is an impor­tant application. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alkaline-water-electrolysis-aklwe)alkaline water electrolysis (AKLWE) Elec­trol­y­sis by means of an [alka­line elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-electrolyzer) for the pur­pose of split­ting water into [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) and oxy­gen. Its major advan­tage is that a high-cost noble met­al cat­a­lyst is not required; a low-cost [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte) solu­tion is used instead. How­ev­er, alka­line water elec­trol­y­sis has sev­er­al draw­backs com­pared to [pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolysis). Most notable are low­er ener­gy effi­cien­cy, sen­si­tiv­i­ty to changes in pow­er input, and less puri­ty of the pro­duced hydrogen. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alkaline-water-electrolyzer)alkaline water electrolyzer [Alka­line elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-electrolyzer) built for the pur­pose of [water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#water-electrolysis). See also [*alka­line water elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-water-electrolysis-aklwe). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#alternating-current-ac)alternating current (AC) A type of elec­tri­cal [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) in which the direc­tion of the flow of elec­trons switch­es back and forth at reg­u­lar inter­vals or cycles. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ampere-a)ampere (A) The SI unit of elec­tric [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) rep­re­sents a flow of one coulomb of charge per second. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anion)anion A neg­a­tive­ly charged [ion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ion) is formed when an atom or mol­e­cule has excess neg­a­tive charge in the form of elec­trons. Dur­ing [elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis), anions have a ten­den­cy to accu­mu­late at the [anode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode) (pos­i­tive elec­trode) in an elec­trolyte solution. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anion-exchange-membrane)anion exchange membrane A [mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#membrane) that selec­tive­ly allows the pas­sage of [anions](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anions) while most­ly block­ing [cations](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cations) or neu­tral mol­e­cules com­mon­ly used in var­i­ous [elec­tro­chem­i­cal](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical) process­es like [elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis) and [fuel cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fuel-cells). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolysis)anion exchange membrane electrolysis [Elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis) char­ac­ter­ized by hav­ing [elec­trodes](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) on each side of an [anion exchange mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer)anion exchange membrane electrolyzer [Elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer) for [anion exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolysis). [Anion exchange mem­brane water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis-aemwe) is an impor­tant application. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anion-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis-aemwe)anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) Elec­trol­y­sis by means of an [anion exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer) for the pur­pose of split­ting water into [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) and oxy­gen. Its major advan­tage is that a high-cost noble met­al cat­a­lyst is not required; a low-cost tran­si­tion met­al [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst) can be used instead. How­ev­er, it is still in the ear­ly research and devel­op­ment stage, while [alka­line water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alkaline-water-electrolysis) is in the mature stage, and [pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolysis) is in the com­mer­cial stage. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anion-exchange-membrane-water-electrolyzer)anion exchange membrane water electrolyzer [Anion exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer) built for the pur­pose of [water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#water-electrolysis). See also [*anion exchange mem­brane water elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis-aemwe). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anode)anode An elec­trode of a polar­ized elec­tri­cal device through which con­ven­tion­al cur­rent enters the device. Elec­trons flow from the device to the anode. In [elec­tro­chem­i­cal cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell), oxi­da­tion occurs at the anode. In pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­ers, [irid­i­um](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#iridium-ir) is used in the anode. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#anti-corrosion-material)anti-corrosion material Mate­r­i­al that resists cor­ro­sion and is used to pro­tect oth­er mate­ri­als, e.g., [plat­inum](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#platinum-pt), is used in electrolyzers. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#atomic-layer-deposition-ald)atomic layer deposition (ALD) A thin film [depo­si­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deposition) tech­nique that deposits mate­ri­als lay­er by lay­er at the atom­ic lev­el. Dur­ing atom­ic lay­er depo­si­tion, [pre­cur­sor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#precursor) gas­es are pulsed into a reac­tion cham­ber sequen­tial­ly, allow­ing for pre­cise film thick­ness and com­po­si­tion con­trol. This method ensures high-qual­i­ty and uni­form films even on com­plex surfaces. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#available-surface-area)available surface area In the con­text of an [elec­tro­chem­i­cal cell](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell), such as those used in [pro­ton exchange mem­brane (PEM) elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer), avail­able sur­face area refers to the area of the [elec­trode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) sur­faces that active­ly par­tic­i­pate in [elec­tro­chem­i­cal](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical) reactions. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#balance-of-plant-bop)balance of plant (BoP) All the sup­port­ing com­po­nents and sys­tems required to oper­ate an [elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer) effec­tive­ly, exclud­ing the [elec­trolyz­er stack](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.smoltek.com%2Fglossary%3Felectrolyzer-stack&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1701294159020151&usg=AOvVaw3r1s3UqPvm_n90AFgf-1nP) itself. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ball-grid-array-bga)ball grid array (BGA) A [chip](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip) [pack­ag­ing scheme](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#packaging-scheme) in which the bot­tom of the pack­age is cov­ered in a grid-like pat­tern of [sol­der balls](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#solder-balls). These sol­der balls pro­vide the elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions between the chip and the [sub­strate it is sol­dered onto, such as a](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board) [print­ed cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#bandgap)bandgap The ener­gy dif­fer­ence between the [valence band’s](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#valence-band) top and the [con­duc­tion band’s](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#conduction-band) bot­tom. It is a cru­cial para­me­ter that deter­mines the [elec­tri­cal con­duc­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity) of a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor). A larg­er bandgap means more ener­gy is required for an elec­tron to move from the valence band to the con­duc­tion band. Semi­con­duc­tors with a small bandgap are more eas­i­ly excit­ed and can con­duct elec­tric­i­ty more read­i­ly. In con­trast, those with a large bandgap are less conductive. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#bipolar-plate)bipolar plate A slim, flat com­po­nent, often made of graphite or met­al, fea­tur­ing intri­cate chan­nels on its sur­face. It’s used with­in the [elec­trolyz­er stack](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-stack), where it serves a dual pur­pose: con­nect­ing the [anode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode) of one [cell](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell) to the [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode) of anoth­er while also man­ag­ing water and gas flow. Its thin­ness and chan­nel design are cru­cial for effi­cien­cy, mak­ing it a key ele­ment in the stack’s over­all performance. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#bga)BGA See [*ball grid array*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ball-grid-array-bga). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#black-hydrogen)black hydrogen [Hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) gen­er­at­ed from low­er-grade coal, like lig­nite, through a process known as coal gasi­fi­ca­tion. Black hydro­gen pro­duc­tion is high­ly pol­lut­ing, releas­ing a con­sid­er­able amount of car­bon diox­ide and oth­er harm­ful emis­sions due to the com­bus­tion of coal. See also [*green hydro­gen*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen), [blue hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#blue-hydrogen), [grey hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#grey-hydrogen), and [brown hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#brown-hydrogen). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#blue-hydrogen)blue hydrogen [Hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) gen­er­at­ed from nat­ur­al gas through process­es such as steam methane reform­ing or autother­mal reform­ing, where the car­bon emis­sions are cap­tured and stored, reduc­ing its envi­ron­men­tal impact. See also [*green hydro­gen*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen), [grey hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#grey-hydrogen), [brown hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#brown-hydrogen), and [black hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#black-hydrogen). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#brown-hydrogen)brown hydrogen [Hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) gen­er­at­ed from high­er-grade coal through a process known as coal gasi­fi­ca­tion. Brown hydrogen’s pro­duc­tion is high­ly pol­lut­ing, releas­ing a con­sid­er­able amount of car­bon diox­ide and oth­er harm­ful emis­sions due to the com­bus­tion of coal. See also [*green hydro­gen*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen), [blue hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#blue-hydrogen), [grey hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#grey-hydrogen), and [black hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#black-hydrogen). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#bump)bump See [*sol­der balls*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#solder-balls). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cagr)CAGR See [*com­pound annu­al growth rate*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#compound-annual-growth-rate-cagt). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cap)cap See [*capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#capacitance)capacitance The abil­i­ty of a [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) to store an elec­tric charge is mea­sured in [farads](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#farads) (F). It rep­re­sents the charge a capac­i­tor can hold for a giv­en [volt­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#voltage) across its terminals. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#capacitor)capacitor An elec­tron­ic [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) that stores and releas­es elec­tri­cal ener­gy con­sists of two con­duct­ing plates sep­a­rat­ed by an insu­lat­ing mate­r­i­al, which is [dielec­tric](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dielectric). Some­times abbre­vi­at­ed *cap*. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#carbon-dioxide-co2)carbon dioxide (CO2) A col­or­less, odor­less gas that aris­es from var­i­ous nat­ur­al process­es, such as res­pi­ra­tion and vol­canic erup­tions, and human activ­i­ties, pri­mar­i­ly burn­ing fos­sil fuels. Ele­vat­ed car­bon diox­ide lev­els in the atmos­phere are a chief con­trib­u­tor to the [green­house effect](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#greenhouse-effect), [glob­al warm­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#global-warming), and [cli­mate change](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#climate-change). Lim­i­ta­tion of green­house gas emis­sions is a pri­ma­ry goal for those advo­cat­ing for [fos­sil-free](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fossil-free) ener­gy sources. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#carbon-nano-growth-tool)carbon nano-growth tool Equip­ment designed to facil­i­tate the [growth](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#grow) or syn­the­sis of car­bon-based [nanos­truc­tures](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nanostructure), such as [nanofibers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nanofiber), nan­otubes, or graphene. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#carbon-nanofiber-cnf)carbon nanofiber (CNF) A type of [nanofiber](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nanofiber) com­posed of car­bon atoms. These fibers exhib­it unique mechan­i­cal, elec­tri­cal, and ther­mal prop­er­ties, mak­ing them suit­able for var­i­ous appli­ca­tions. Grow­ing car­bon nanofiber is Smoltek’s core competence. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#carbon-nanotechnology)carbon nanotechnology The study, manip­u­la­tion, and appli­ca­tion of car­bon-based nanoscale struc­tures, includ­ing [car­bon nanofibers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-nanofiber-cnf), nan­otubes, and graphene. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#carbon-free)carbon-free Refers to process­es, activ­i­ties, or ener­gy sources that do not release car­bon diox­ide (CO2) into the atmos­phere. For exam­ple, renew­able ener­gy sources like solar and wind pow­er are con­sid­ered car­bon-free because they gen­er­ate elec­tric­i­ty with­out emit­ting CO2. See also [*car­bon-neu­tral*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-neutral) and [fos­sil-free](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fossil-free). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#carbon-neutral)carbon-neutral Means that any CO2 released into the atmos­phere from a cer­tain activ­i­ty is bal­anced out by an equiv­a­lent amount of CO2 being removed. This can be achieved through var­i­ous means, such as car­bon off­set­ting, where CO2 emis­sions are com­pen­sat­ed for by fund­ing renew­able ener­gy projects, tree plant­i­ng, or oth­er activ­i­ties that absorb CO2. See also [*car­bon-free*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-free) and [fos­sil-free](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fossil-free). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#catalyst)catalyst A sub­stance that facil­i­tates a chem­i­cal reac­tion with­out under­go­ing any per­ma­nent chem­i­cal change itself. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#catalyst-support)catalyst support A mate­r­i­al on which a [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst) is dis­persed or attached increas­ing the avail­able sur­face area and sta­bil­i­ty of the catalyst. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cathode)cathode An elec­trode of a polar­ized elec­tri­cal device through which con­ven­tion­al cur­rent leaves the device. Elec­trons flow to the device from the cath­ode. In [elec­tro­chem­i­cal cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell), reduc­tion occurs at the cathode. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cation)cation A pos­i­tive­ly charged [ion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ion) is formed when an atom or mol­e­cule has an excess pos­i­tive charge lack­ing one or sev­er­al elec­trons. In an [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte) solu­tion, cations move toward the cath­ode dur­ing electrolysis. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cell)cell See [*elec­tro­chem­i­cal cell*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cell-area)cell area The sur­face area of the elec­trodes where the elec­tro­chem­i­cal reac­tions occur in an elec­tro­chem­i­cal cell. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#chemical-vapor-deposition-cvd)chemical vapor deposition (CVD) A method used to pro­duce thin films or coat­ings on a sub­strate by chem­i­cal­ly react­ing gaseous [pre­cur­sors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#precursors) at or near the [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate) sur­face. The sub­strate is exposed to one or more vapor­ized pre­cur­sor mate­ri­als dur­ing this process. As these pre­cur­sors come into con­tact with the sub­strate, they react or decom­pose, form­ing a sol­id [deposit](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deposit). Chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion is the main process when grow­ing car­bon nanofibers. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#chip)chip See [*inte­grat­ed cir­cuit*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#integrated-circuit-ic). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#chip-on-board-cob)chip-on-board (COB) A chip [pack­ag­ing scheme](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#packaging-scheme) where the [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) is mount­ed direct­ly onto a [cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board) and then cov­ered with a pro­tec­tive epoxy or sim­i­lar material. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#circuit-board)circuit board A flat board made from non-con­duc­tive mate­r­i­al with [con­duc­tive](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity) traces etched or print­ed on it, on which elec­tron­ic [com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) are mount­ed and elec­tri­cal­ly connected. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#climate-change)climate change Refers to sig­nif­i­cant changes in glob­al tem­per­a­tures and weath­er pat­terns over extend­ed peri­ods. While cli­mate change is a nat­ur­al phe­nom­e­non, cur­rent pat­terns are heav­i­ly influ­enced and accel­er­at­ed by human activ­i­ties, espe­cial­ly the burn­ing of fos­sil fuels. This has led to var­i­ous envi­ron­men­tal and soci­etal chal­lenges, includ­ing more fre­quent and severe weath­er events, altered ecosys­tems, and ris­ing sea lev­els. Var­i­ous inter­na­tion­al frame­works, includ­ing the [Sus­tain­able Devel­op­ment Goals](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fclimatechange%2F17-goals-to-transform-our-world&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1701294159031445&usg=AOvVaw0fKOcM1CIAtNQigteQqr5b), the [UN Frame­work Con­ven­tion on Cli­mate Change](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Funfccc.int%2Fprocess-and-meetings%2Fthe-convention%2Fwhat-is-the-united-nations-framework-convention-on-climate-change&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1701294159031559&usg=AOvVaw0UuYQWJNZvJ_EvCGZBonA5), and the [Paris Agree­ment](https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fen%2Fclimatechange%2Fparis-agreement&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1701294159031638&usg=AOvVaw3fqv3RRuCjyXOiNHGdy7a8), out­line nec­es­sary mea­sures to address cli­mate change. These include reduc­ing emis­sions, adapt­ing to cli­mate-relat­ed impacts, and secur­ing the fund­ing need­ed for these adap­ta­tions. Encour­ag­ing the use of [fos­sil-free](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fossil-free) ener­gy sources and [green hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen) is essen­tial in the effort to halt cli­mate change. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#climate-crisis)climate crisis A term empha­siz­ing the urgent and severe nature of [cli­mate change](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#climate-change). It high­lights the imme­di­ate need for action to address the esca­lat­ing chal­lenges of ris­ing tem­per­a­tures, sea-lev­el rise, extreme weath­er events, and oth­er man­i­fes­ta­tions of dis­rupt­ed cli­mate pat­terns. Due to the cri­sis, many new tech­nolo­gies are being devel­oped and are expect­ed to reach large mar­kets in the future. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cmos)CMOS Abbre­vi­a­tion of com­ple­men­tary met­al-oxide-semi­con­duc­tor, which comes from the use of com­ple­men­tary and sym­met­ri­cal pairs of [p‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#p-type) and [n‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#n-type) [MOS­FETs](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#mosfet) where the MOSFET hav­ing a met­al gate [elec­trode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) placed on top of an oxide [insu­la­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#insulator), which in turn is on top of a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) mate­r­i­al. Since one [tran­sis­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#transistor) of the MOSFET pair is always off, the series com­bi­na­tion draws sig­nif­i­cant pow­er only momen­tar­i­ly dur­ing switch­ing between on and off states. Con­se­quent­ly, CMOS devices do not pro­duce as much waste heat as oth­er forms of log­ic. CMOS is also used in a gen­er­al sense to refer to both the type of cir­cuit­ry that uses CMOS tech­nol­o­gy and the process of man­u­fac­tur­ing with CMOS technology. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cnf)CNF See [*car­bon nanofiber*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-nanofiber-cnf). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cnf-mim)CNF-MIM Smoltek’s trade­mark [car­bon nanofiber](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-nanofiber-cnf) enhanced [met­al-insu­la­tor-met­al capac­i­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#metal-insulation-metal-capacitor-mim-capacitor). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#co2)CO2 See [*car­bon diox­ide*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-dioxide-CO~2~). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cob)COB See [*chip-on-board*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip-on-board-cob). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor-cmos)complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) See [*CMOS*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cmos). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#component)component A spe­cif­ic device or ele­ment with­in a tech­ni­cal sys­tem, such as an elec­tri­cal or elec­tron­ic cir­cuit, serves a dis­tinct pur­pose, such as mod­i­fy­ing, ampli­fy­ing, or direct­ing elec­tri­cal cur­rent or sig­nals. Elec­tron­ic com­po­nents can be as sim­ple as resis­tors or [capac­i­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) or as com­plex as [inte­grat­ed cir­cuits](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip) and are the fun­da­men­tal build­ing blocks for design­ing and assem­bling elec­tri­cal cir­cuits and systems. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#compound-annual-growth-rate-cagr)Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) A mea­sure that shows the con­sis­tent growth rate of, for instance, a mar­ket or an invest­ment over mul­ti­ple years. It helps under­stand how much an invest­ment has grown on aver­age each year over a spe­cif­ic period. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#conductivity)conductivity See [*elec­tri­cal con­duc­tiv­i­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#conduction-band)conduction band A band of ener­gy lev­els above the [valence band](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#valence-band) where elec­trons can move freely through the mate­r­i­al, thus con­tribut­ing to [elec­tri­cal con­duc­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity). When elec­trons in a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) gain enough ener­gy (for exam­ple, from heat or light), they can be excit­ed from the valence band into the con­duc­tion band, allow­ing the mate­r­i­al to con­duct elec­tric current. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#connector)connector A device for con­nect­ing two dif­fer­ent parts to trans­mit elec­tric sig­nals or power. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#corrosion)corrosion The nat­ur­al process by which mate­ri­als dete­ri­o­rate due to reac­tions with their envi­ron­ment, often result­ing in the for­ma­tion of oxides or salts of the orig­i­nal mate­r­i­al. [Anti-cor­ro­sion mate­ri­als](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anti-corrosive-materials) can be used to pro­tect materials. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cu-cu-connection)Cu-Cu connection A type of bond made direct­ly between two cop­per sur­faces, used in [advanced pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#advanced-packaging) [semi­con­duc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#current)current Refers to the flow of elec­tric charge car­ri­ers, such as elec­trons or ions, through a con­duc­tor or cir­cuit. It rep­re­sents the rate at which elec­tric charges move past a spec­i­fied point in the cir­cuit, and it’s mea­sured in units of [amperes](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ampere-a) (A). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#current-density)current density The amount of elec­tric [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) flow­ing through a spe­cif­ic cross-sec­tion­al area of a material. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#customer-sample)customer sample See [*engi­neer­ing sam­ple*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#engineering-sample). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#cvd)CVD See [*chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chemical-vapor-deposition-cvd). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#d2w)D2W See [*die-to-wafer*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die-to-wafer). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#direct-current-dc)direct current (DC) A type of elec­tri­cal [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) where the flow of elec­trons is con­sis­tent and moves in one direction. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dc)DC See [*direct cur­rent*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#direct-current-dc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#decoupling-capacitor)decoupling capacitor A [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) is used in cir­cuits to sep­a­rate [AC](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alternating-current-ac) and [DC](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#direct-current-dc) sig­nals, pre­vent­ing noise dis­tur­bances from affect­ing oth­er parts of the circuit. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#deposition)deposition The process of deposit­ing a mate­r­i­al, often in the form of a thin film or coat­ing, onto a sur­face. Depo­si­tion tech­niques are wide­ly used in var­i­ous indus­tries, includ­ing elec­tron­ics and man­u­fac­tur­ing, to cre­ate lay­ers with spe­cif­ic properties. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#design-in)design-in Incor­po­rat­ing a spe­cif­ic com­po­nent or tech­nol­o­gy into a product’s ini­tial design phase. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#design-win)design-win A sit­u­a­tion where a com­po­nent or tech­nol­o­gy sup­pli­er gets its prod­uct cho­sen for use in a new prod­uct devel­oped by a manufacturer. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dice)dice Plur­al form of [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#die)die A small block of [semi­con­duc­tor mate­r­i­al](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) has been processed to cre­ate an elec­tri­cal cir­cuit in which a large num­ber of minia­tur­ized [tran­sis­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#transistor) and oth­er [elec­tron­ic com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) are insep­a­ra­bly assem­bled and elec­tri­cal­ly interconnected. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#die-to-wafer-d2w)die-to-wafer (D2W) A man­u­fac­tur­ing con­cept in which indi­vid­ual [dice](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) are elec­tri­cal­ly and mechan­i­cal­ly con­nect­ed to a wafer, often used in [advanced pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#advancedpackaging) and [3D inte­gra­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#3d). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dielectric)dielectric An [insu­lat­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#insulator) mate­r­i­al that an applied [elec­tric field](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electric-field) can [polar­ize](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#polariziation). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dielectric-constant)dielectric constant An old­er term fre­quent­ly used for [rel­a­tive per­mit­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#relative-permittivity). Stan­dards orga­ni­za­tions have dep­re­cat­ed this term in favor of rel­a­tive per­mit­tiv­i­ty due to poten­tial ambiguities. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dip)DIP See [*dual in-line pack­age*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dual-in-line-package). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#discrete)discrete [Com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) sep­a­rate or dis­tinct from each oth­er, like resis­tors or [capac­i­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor), as opposed to [inte­grat­ed cir­cuits](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#deep-trench-capacitor-dtc)deep trench capacitor (DTC) A [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) inte­grat­ed into a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate) by cre­at­ing deep recess­es, called trench­es, to max­i­mize the sur­face area and, there­fore, the [capac­i­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitance) in a small [foot­print](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#footprint). Also known as trench sil­i­con capac­i­tors (TSC) and sil­i­con capac­i­tors (SiCap). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#doctor-of-philosophy-ph-d)Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) An advanced aca­d­e­m­ic degree that rep­re­sents the high­est lev­el of for­mal edu­ca­tion in many fields. It is typ­i­cal­ly pur­sued after com­plet­ing under­grad­u­ate (Bachelor’s) and post­grad­u­ate (Master’s) degrees, although in some cas­es, stu­dents can tran­si­tion direct­ly from a Bachelor’s to a Ph.D. pro­gram. It is the high­est lev­el of degree a stu­dent can achieve. Typ­i­cal­ly, earn­ing a Ph.D. involves con­duct­ing orig­i­nal research that con­tributes new knowl­edge or under­stand­ing to a spe­cif­ic field of study. The process usu­al­ly includes exten­sive research, com­ple­tion of a dis­ser­ta­tion or the­sis, and suc­cess­ful defense of this work before a pan­el of experts. Ph.D. pro­grams can vary in length but often take sev­er­al years to com­plete and require a deep lev­el of com­mit­ment to study­ing and research­ing a spe­cial­ized area of interest. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dopants)dopants Impu­ri­ty atoms are added to a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) mate­r­i­al dur­ing a process referred to as [dop­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#doping) to mod­i­fy its elec­tri­cal prop­er­ties. Depend­ing on their atom­ic struc­ture, dopants can intro­duce either extra elec­trons (for [n‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#n-type)) or cre­ate “holes” (for [p‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#p-type)) in the semiconductor. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#doping)doping Inten­tion­al­ly adding spe­cif­ic impu­ri­ties, called [dopants](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dopants), into a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) mate­r­i­al to mod­i­fy its elec­tri­cal prop­er­ties. Depend­ing on the type of impu­ri­ty added, a semi­con­duc­tor can become either [n‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#n-type) or [p‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#p-type). Dop­ing con­trols the con­cen­tra­tion and type of charge car­ri­ers in the mate­r­i­al, enabling the cre­ation of var­i­ous semi­con­duc­tor devices. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dtc)DTC See [*deep trench capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deep-trench-capacitor-dtc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#dual-in-line-package-dip)dual in-line package (DIP) A chip pack­ag­ing scheme with a rec­tan­gu­lar hous­ing with two par­al­lel rows of elec­tri­cal [pins](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#pin) or leads extend­ing from its sides. These pins facil­i­tate the con­nec­tion of the IC to cir­cuit boards. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ecm)ECM See [*elec­trolyz­er cell mate­r­i­al*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-cell-material). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrical-conductivity)electrical conductivity A mate­r­i­al that eas­i­ly allows the flow of elec­tric charge. Met­als are a typ­i­cal exam­ple of high­ly con­duc­tive mate­ri­als, but cer­tain [semi­con­duc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) can also be con­duc­tive, par­tic­u­lar­ly when [doped](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#doped) with impu­ri­ties that alter their elec­tri­cal properties. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electric-field)electric field An invis­i­ble field that sur­rounds charged par­ti­cles or objects and extends through­out the space around them. This field exerts elec­tric forces on oth­er charged par­ti­cles with­in its influ­ence, shap­ing the behav­ior of elec­tric charges and their inter­ac­tions. Under­stand­ing elec­tric fields is essen­tial for grasp­ing the dynam­ics of elec­tri­cal­ly charged entities. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electro-deposition)electro-deposition A process that uses an [elec­tric cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) to reduce dis­solved met­al cations so that they form a thin, coher­ent met­al coat­ing on an elec­trode. This method is com­mon­ly used in indus­tries for plat­ing, refin­ing, and syn­the­siz­ing mate­ri­als. Also known as electroplating. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrochemical)electrochemical The branch of chem­istry that deals with the rela­tion­ship between elec­tric­i­ty and chem­i­cal reac­tions. Elec­tro­chem­i­cal process­es involve the move­ment of elec­trons between mol­e­cules, often result­ing in a chem­i­cal change. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrochemical-cell)electrochemical cell A device that can gen­er­ate elec­tri­cal ener­gy from [elec­tro­chem­i­cal](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical) reac­tions occur­ring in it or use the elec­tri­cal ener­gy sup­plied to it to facil­i­tate elec­tro­chem­i­cal reac­tions in it. It typ­i­cal­ly con­sists of two [elec­trodes](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) immersed in an [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte). Bat­ter­ies, [fuel cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fuel-cell), and [elec­trolyz­er cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-cell) are com­mon exam­ples of elec­tro­chem­i­cal cells. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrode)electrode An elec­tri­cal con­duc­tor used to make con­tact with a non­metal­lic part of a cir­cuit (e.g., a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) or an [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte)). See also [*anode*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode) and [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolysis)electrolysis An [elec­tro­chem­i­cal](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical) process where an [elec­tric cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) is passed through an [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte) to dri­ve a non-spon­ta­neous chem­i­cal reac­tion. See also [*water elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#water-electrolysis). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyte)electrolyte A medi­um con­tain­ing [ions](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ion) that are elec­tri­cal­ly con­duct­ing through the move­ment of those ions but not con­duct­ing electrons. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyzer)electrolyzer A device that car­ries out [elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis), e.g., is used to split water into [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) and oxygen. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyzer-cell)electrolyzer cell An [elec­tro­chem­i­cal cell](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell) used in an elec­trolyz­er. Elec­trol­y­sis takes place in elec­trolyz­er cells. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyzer-cell-material-ecm)electrolyzer cell material (ECM) Gen­er­al term for mate­ri­als that are part of an [elec­trolyz­er cell](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-cell). The term cov­ers [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte) (the pro­ton exchange mem­brane in a [PEM elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer)), [cat­a­lysts](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalysts) ([irid­i­um](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#iridium) in a PEM elec­trolyz­er), [elec­trodes](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) ([anode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode) och [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode)), [porous trans­port lay­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-layer), and [bipo­lar plates](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#bipolar-plate). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyzer-cell-stack)electrolyzer cell stack See [*elec­trolyz­er stack*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-stack). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyzer-stack)electrolyzer stack A col­lec­tion of [elec­trolyz­er cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-cell) assem­bled togeth­er in a series or par­al­lel con­fig­u­ra­tion to increase the pro­duc­tion capac­i­ty of the [elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer). Elec­trolyz­ers uti­lize elec­trolyz­er stacks rather than indi­vid­ual elec­trolyz­er cells. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electrolyzer-test-system-ets)electrolyzer test system (ETS) A spe­cial­ized set­up used for eval­u­at­ing and test­ing the per­for­mance of [elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer). An elec­trolyz­er test sys­tem is designed to sim­u­late var­i­ous oper­at­ing con­di­tions and para­me­ters that an elec­trolyz­er might encounter in real-world applications. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#electroplating)electroplating See [*elec­tro-depo­si­tion*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electro-deposition). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#embedded-capacitor)embedded capacitor A [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) is embed­ded with­in a [print­ed cir­cuit board (PCB)](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#printed-circuit-board-pcb), a [sub­strate-like PCB (SLP)](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate-like-pcb-slp), or anoth­er [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate) instead of being mount­ed onto a PCB, SLP, or oth­er sub­strate. Embed­ding capac­i­tors allows for more effi­cient use of space and can improve the per­for­mance of high-speed circuits. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#engineering-sample)engineering sample A pre-pro­duc­tion ver­sion of a future prod­uct pro­vid­ed to prospec­tive cus­tomers for test­ing, feed­back, or mar­ket­ing purposes. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#equivalent-series-inductance-esl)equivalent series inductance (ESL) A mea­sure of the inher­ent induc­tive [reac­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#reactance) found in real-world [capac­i­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor). While an ide­al capac­i­tor is con­sid­ered to have no induc­tive reac­tance, actu­al capac­i­tors exhib­it some due to their mate­ri­als and con­struc­tion. This [induc­tive](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductance) behav­ior is rep­re­sent­ed as an [induc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductor) in series with the ide­al capac­i­tor and is termed the equiv­a­lent series inductance. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#equivalent-series-resistance-esr)equivalent series resistance (ESR) A mea­sure of the inher­ent [resis­tive](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#resistance) loss­es with­in a real-world [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) or [induc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductor). While ide­al capac­i­tors and induc­tors are con­sid­ered to have no resis­tance, actu­al com­po­nents exhib­it some [resis­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#resistance) due to their mate­ri­als and con­struc­tion. This resis­tive char­ac­ter­is­tic is effec­tive­ly rep­re­sent­ed as a [resis­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#resistor) in series with the ide­al com­po­nent and is termed the equiv­a­lent series resistance. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#esl)ESL See [*equiv­a­lent series induc­tance*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#equivalent-series-inductance-esl). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#esr)ESR See [*equiv­a­lent series resis­tance*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#equivalent-series-resistance-esr). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ets)ETS See [*the elec­trolyz­er test sys­tem*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-test-system-ets). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#f)F See [*farad*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#farad-f). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#fabless)fabless A com­pa­ny that designs [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) devices but relies on third-par­ty man­u­fac­tur­ing facil­i­ties for pro­duc­tion, i.e., does not own its fab­ri­ca­tion facilities. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#farad-f)farad (F) The SI unit of [capac­i­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitance). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#film-catalyst)film catalyst A thin lay­er of [cat­alyt­ic](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalytic) mate­r­i­al used to facil­i­tate or enhance cer­tain chem­i­cal reac­tions dur­ing the [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) man­u­fac­tur­ing process. These reac­tions can be essen­tial for process­es like [chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chemical-vapor-deposition-cvd-cvd) or oth­er growth mechanisms. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#flip-chip)flip chip A method where the [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) is “flipped” so that its active area faces down­ward, mak­ing direct elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions to the sub­strate or pack­age. This is in con­trast to tra­di­tion­al meth­ods where the chip’s active area faces upward, and con­nec­tions are made via wire bonding. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#footprint)footprint The phys­i­cal space occu­pied by a [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) on a [cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board) or with­in an [inte­grat­ed cir­cuit](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip) lay­out. This term can describe both the size and shape of the com­po­nent, as well as its ori­en­ta­tion and place­ment. A small­er foot­print gen­er­al­ly allows for a denser pack­ing of com­po­nents, which can be cru­cial in minia­tur­ized electronics. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#form-factor)form-factor Refers to the phys­i­cal shape and size of an [elec­tron­ic com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component). When con­sid­er­ing inte­grat­ing com­po­nents into prod­ucts, space con­straints and com­pat­i­bil­i­ty with oth­er com­po­nents are crucial. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#fossil-free)fossil-free Describes ener­gy sources, tech­nolo­gies, or prac­tices not depen­dent on coal, oil, or nat­ur­al gas. Fos­sil-free alter­na­tives reduce envi­ron­men­tal harm, pro­mot­ing a health­i­er plan­et. In the con­text of [green hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen), fos­sil-free sig­ni­fies hydro­gen pro­duc­tion meth­ods that exclude the use of fos­sil fuels, there­by pro­duc­ing clean­er ener­gy. See also [*car­bon-free*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-free) and [car­bon-neu­tral](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-neutral). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#fuel-cell)fuel cell A device that con­verts chem­i­cal ener­gy from a fuel into elec­tric­i­ty through an [elec­tro­chem­i­cal](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical) reac­tion. It typ­i­cal­ly con­sists of an [anode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode), a [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode), and an [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte). Com­mon fuels include [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) or methanol, and the most com­mon oxi­dant is oxy­gen from the air. Unlike bat­ter­ies, which store ener­gy, fuel cells con­tin­u­ous­ly gen­er­ate elec­tric­i­ty as long as fuel and an oxi­dant are supplied. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#gas-diffusion-layer-gdl)gas diffusion layer (GDL) An elec­trolyz­er cell mate­r­i­al with a porous struc­ture designed to facil­i­tate the trans­port of gas­es, enhanc­ing the cell’s per­for­mance. See also [*the porous trans­port lay­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-layer-ptl). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#global-warming)global warming The long-term increase in Earth’s aver­age sur­face tem­per­a­ture is pri­mar­i­ly due to the high­er con­cen­tra­tions of [green­house gas­es](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#greenhouse-gas) in the atmos­phere. This warm­ing is pri­mar­i­ly attrib­uted to human activ­i­ties, par­tic­u­lar­ly the com­bus­tion of fos­sil fuels. Glob­al warm­ing is a sig­nif­i­cant dri­ver behind the broad­er changes observed in our cli­mate system. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#gdl)GDL See [*gas dif­fu­sion lay­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#gas-diffusion-layer-gdl). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#gray-hydrogen)gray hydrogen See [*grey hydro­gen*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#grey-hydrogen). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#green-hydrogen)green hydrogen [Hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) pro­duced using renew­able ener­gy sources like wind, solar, or hydro­elec­tric pow­er. Typ­i­cal­ly, green hydro­gen is pro­duced with [PEM elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer). See also [*blue hydro­gen*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#blue-hydrogen), [grey hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#grey-hydrogen), [brown hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#brown-hydrogen), and [black hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#black-hydrogen). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#greenhouse-effect)greenhouse effect A nat­ur­al process in which cer­tain gas­es in the Earth’s atmos­phere, like [car­bon diox­ide](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-dioxide-CO~2~) and methane, trap heat from the sun. This trapped heat warms the plan­et and makes it hos­pitable for life. How­ev­er, human activ­i­ties, espe­cial­ly the burn­ing of fos­sil fuels, have increased the con­cen­tra­tions of these gas­es, inten­si­fy­ing the green­house effect and lead­ing to a rise in glob­al temperatures. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#greenhouse-gas)greenhouse gas Gas­es that trap heat in the Earth’s atmos­phere, con­tribut­ing to the [green­house effect](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#greenhouse-effect) and, con­se­quent­ly, [glob­al warm­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#global-warming). The pri­ma­ry green­house gas­es include [car­bon diox­ide](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-dioxide-CO~2~), methane, nitrous oxide, and flu­o­ri­nat­ed gas­es. Reduc­ing the emis­sion of these gas­es, espe­cial­ly from human activ­i­ties, is cru­cial for slow­ing or revers­ing the impacts of cli­mate change. Pro­mot­ing [fos­sil-free](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fossil-free) ener­gy and [green hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen) can help in mit­i­gat­ing these emissions. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#grey-hydrogen)grey hydrogen [Hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) gen­er­at­ed from nat­ur­al gas through process­es such as steam methane reform­ing or autother­mal reform­ing, where the car­bon emis­sions are not cap­tured and stored, result­ing in sig­nif­i­cant car­bon diox­ide emis­sions into the atmos­phere. See also [*green hydro­gen*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen), [blue hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#blue-hydrogen), [brown hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#brown-hydrogen), and [black hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#black-hydrogen). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#grow)grow The syn­the­sis or for­ma­tion of mate­ri­als, espe­cial­ly crys­tals, under con­trolled conditions. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#h)H See [*hen­ry*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#henry-h) or [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#h2)H2 See [*hydro­gen gas*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-gas). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#h2lab)H2LAB Smoltek’s in-house [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) laboratory. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#henry-h)henry (H) The SI unit of [induc­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductance). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#heterogeneous-integration)heterogeneous integration The process of inte­grat­ing dif­fer­ent [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) tech­nolo­gies into a sin­gle sys­tem. This can involve com­bin­ing [com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) of dif­fer­ent mate­ri­als or using dif­fer­ent man­u­fac­tur­ing process­es to achieve a sys­tem with opti­mized per­for­mance, func­tion­al­i­ty, and pow­er efficiency. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#high-performance-computing-hpc)high-performance computing (HPC) A branch of com­put­ing that deals with devel­op­ing and using super­com­put­ers and par­al­lel pro­cess­ing tech­niques to solve com­plex com­pu­ta­tion­al prob­lems. High-per­for­mance com­put­ing sys­tems are char­ac­ter­ized by their abil­i­ty to quick­ly process vast amounts of data. They are used in sci­en­tif­ic research, engi­neer­ing sim­u­la­tions, and data analysis. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#homogeneous-integration)homogeneous integration The inte­gra­tion of [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) devices or sys­tems made from the same mate­r­i­al sys­tem or process. It’s about com­bin­ing like with like to achieve a par­tic­u­lar functionality. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#hpc)HPC See [*high-per­for­mance com­put­ing*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#high-performance-computing-hpc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#hydrogen-h)hydrogen (H) A chem­i­cal ele­ment with the sym­bol H and atom­ic num­ber 1. It’s a col­or­less, odor­less, and high­ly flam­ma­ble gas and is the universe’s light­est and most abun­dant ele­ment. At stan­dard con­di­tions, hydro­gen is a gas of H2 molecules. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#hydrogen-gas)hydrogen gas Gaseous [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) con­sist­ing of mol­e­cules with two hydro­gen atoms (H2). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ic)IC See [*inte­grat­ed cir­cuit*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#integrated-circuit-ic). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#impedance)impedance A mea­sure of the oppo­si­tion a [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) or cir­cuit presents to the flow of [alter­nat­ing cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alternating-current-ac) (AC). Imped­ance encom­pass­es both [resis­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#resistance) and [reac­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#reactance). It is typ­i­cal­ly rep­re­sent­ed in [ohms](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ohm-ω) (Ω) and deter­mines how a com­po­nent or cir­cuit will respond to an applied AC voltage. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#inductance)inductance A prop­er­ty of a [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) in a cir­cuit that oppos­es changes in [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) flow. It results from the mag­net­ic field gen­er­at­ed around an elec­tri­cal con­duc­tor when cur­rent flows through it. Induc­tance is mea­sured in [hen­rys](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#henrys) (H). It plays a cru­cial role in [AC](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alternating-current-ac) cir­cuits, espe­cial­ly in fil­ter­ing and ener­gy stor­age applications. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#inductor)inductor An [elec­tron­ic com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) that stores ener­gy in the form of a mag­net­ic field when [elec­tric cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) flows through it. Typ­i­cal­ly con­struct­ed as a coil of wire, its pri­ma­ry prop­er­ty is [induc­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductance), which oppos­es rapid changes in cur­rent flow. Induc­tors are com­mon­ly used in fil­ter­ing appli­ca­tions, ener­gy stor­age, and cir­cuits where mag­net­ic fields are necessary. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#insulator)insulator A mate­r­i­al that does not con­duct elec­tric­i­ty. Insu­la­tors are used to pre­vent the flow of elec­tric current. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#integrated-circuit-ic)integrated circuit (IC) ① Syn­ony­mous with die. ② The final, func­tion­al unit con­sist­ing of one or more dice enclosed in a pro­tec­tive cas­ing. This encap­su­la­tion pro­vides not only phys­i­cal pro­tec­tion but also facil­i­tates exter­nal con­nec­tiv­i­ty through pins or leads and aids in heat man­age­ment. In this form, the IC is ready for inte­gra­tion into elec­tron­ic systems. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#intellectual-property-ip)intellectual property (IP) Refers to cre­ations of the mind, such as inven­tions, lit­er­ary and artis­tic works, designs, sym­bols, names, and images used in com­merce. Intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty is pro­tect­ed by law, allow­ing cre­ators or IP hold­ers to earn recog­ni­tion or finan­cial ben­e­fits from what they invent or cre­ate. In com­put­ing, this can include soft­ware code, algo­rithms, patents on hard­ware designs, trade­marks, and copy­rights on soft­ware applications. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#interconnect)interconnect An elec­tri­cal­ly con­duc­tive path that con­nects tran­sis­tors and oth­er elec­tron­ic com­po­nents in an inte­grat­ed cir­cuit. It can also refer to an elec­tri­cal­ly con­duc­tive path that con­nects a die to the package’s con­nec­tors or two dice. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#internet-of-things-iot)internet of things (IoT) A con­cept where­in every­day objects are embed­ded with sen­sors, soft­ware, and oth­er tech­nolo­gies to con­nect and exchange data with oth­er devices and sys­tems over the inter­net. This inter­con­nect­ed­ness allows for more direct inte­gra­tion of the phys­i­cal world into com­put­er-based sys­tems, lead­ing to improved effi­cien­cy, accu­ra­cy, and eco­nom­ic ben­e­fits. Exam­ples include smart ther­mostats, wear­able fit­ness track­ers, and con­nect­ed house­hold appliances. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#interposer)interposer A [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate), often made of sil­i­con, glass, or organ­ic mate­ri­als, that is used in [advanced pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#advanced-packaging). It acts as an inter­me­di­ary lay­er where one or more [dice](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) are mount­ed and elec­tri­cal­ly con­nect­ed through inter­nal [inter­con­nects](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#interconnect). These inter­con­nects facil­i­tate com­mu­ni­ca­tion between dif­fer­ent dice or tran­si­tion from a fine pitch on a die to a wider pitch on the pack­age through a [Redis­tri­b­u­tion Lay­er (RDL)](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#redistribution-layer-rdl). Inter­posers may also inte­grate addi­tion­al func­tion­al­i­ties like [capac­i­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitors). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ion)ion An atom or mol­e­cule that has acquired a net elec­tric charge due to the gain or loss of one or more elec­trons. Ions are essen­tial in var­i­ous chem­i­cal and [elec­tro­chem­i­cal](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical) process­es, includ­ing con­duct­ing elec­tric­i­ty in solu­tions and form­ing ion­ic compounds. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#iot)IoT See [*the inter­net of things*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#internet-of-things-iot). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ip)IP See [*intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#intellectual-property-ip). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ir)Ir See [*irid­i­um*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#iridium-ir). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#iridium-ir)iridium (Ir) A shiny, sil­very-white noble met­al with the sym­bol Ir. Irid­i­um is one of the most cor­ro­sion-resis­tant met­als. It is one of the rarest ele­ments in Earth’s crust, with esti­mat­ed annu­al pro­duc­tion and con­sump­tion of only 7–8 tonnes, mak­ing it very expen­sive. It is the only met­al that can be used in [PEM elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer) as a [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#jda)JDA See [*joint devel­op­ment agree­ment*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#joint-development-agreement-jda). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#joint-development-agreement-jda)joint development agreement (JDA) A con­trac­tu­al rela­tion­ship between two or more enti­ties to col­lab­o­rate on a spe­cif­ic project or ini­tia­tive, typ­i­cal­ly involv­ing research, devel­op­ment, or inno­va­tion. Such agree­ments out­line each party’s respon­si­bil­i­ties, roles, and rights, as well as the allo­ca­tion of any poten­tial rev­enues, intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty rights, and oth­er key terms relat­ed to the project. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#joint-venture-jv)joint venture (JV) A con­trac­tu­al rela­tion­ship between two or more enti­ties to col­lab­o­rate by pool­ing resources to achieve a spe­cif­ic task or busi­ness goal. In a joint ven­ture, each par­tic­i­pant is respon­si­ble for prof­its, loss­es, and costs asso­ci­at­ed with the ven­ture. How­ev­er, the enter­prise oper­ates inde­pen­dent­ly from the par­tic­i­pants’ oth­er busi­ness interests. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#joint-venture-agreement-jva)joint venture agreement (JVA) Agree­ment between two or more par­ties gov­ern­ing the for­ma­tion and oper­a­tion of a [joint ven­ture](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#joint-venture). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#jv)JV See [*joint ven­ture*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#joint-venture). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#jva)JVA See [*joint ven­ture agree­ment*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#joint-venture-agreement-jva). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#landside)landside Refers to the side of a [semi­con­duc­tor pack­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor-packaging) that has [inter­con­nec­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#interconnects) intend­ed for con­nec­tion to a cir­cuit board. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#landside-capacitor-lsc)landside capacitor (LSC) A capac­i­tor attached to the [land­side](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#land-side) of an [inte­grat­ed cir­cuit](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip). When serv­ing as a [decou­pling capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#decoupling-capacitor), its prox­im­i­ty to the [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) allows it to effec­tive­ly main­tain a sta­ble pow­er sup­ply to the inte­grat­ed cir­cuit. Con­straints like [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate) size and the height of [sol­der balls](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#solder-ball) or con­nec­tions often influ­ence its dimen­sions and form factor. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#letter-of-intent-loi)Letter of Intent (LoI) A writ­ten doc­u­ment express­ing two or more par­ties’ inten­tion to enter into a par­tic­u­lar agree­ment. It is often used in busi­ness trans­ac­tions such as merg­ers and acqui­si­tions. While typ­i­cal­ly not legal­ly bind­ing in terms of the deal itself, it can include bind­ing pro­vi­sions relat­ed to con­fi­den­tial­i­ty, exclu­siv­i­ty, or time­lines. An LOI is a pre­cur­sor to a for­mal con­tract, indi­cat­ing seri­ous inter­est from the sender about a par­tic­u­lar action or event. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#licc)LICC See [*low induc­tance chip capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#low-inductance-chip-capacitor-licc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#loi)LoI See [*let­ter of intent*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#letter-of-intent-loi). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#long-run-tests)Long run tests Exper­i­ments or eval­u­a­tions con­duct­ed over an extend­ed peri­od (typ­i­cal­ly 1,000 hours or more) to assess the per­for­mance, dura­bil­i­ty, and reli­a­bil­i­ty of a sys­tem, com­po­nent, or process. These tests are cru­cial for under­stand­ing how a prod­uct or sys­tem behaves under pro­longed use or expo­sure to var­i­ous conditions. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#lifetime)Lifetime The dura­tion for which a prod­uct, sys­tem, or com­po­nent is expect­ed to func­tion effec­tive­ly before it requires replace­ment or becomes too inef­fi­cient or unre­li­able to use. It’s a mea­sure of the longevi­ty and dura­bil­i­ty of an item under nor­mal oper­at­ing conditions. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#low-inductance-chip-capacitor-licc)low inductance chip capacitor (LICC) A capac­i­tor designed to have low induc­tance, min­i­miz­ing the unwant­ed effects of induc­tance in elec­tron­ic cir­cuits. These capac­i­tors are often used in high-fre­quen­cy appli­ca­tions where reduc­ing induc­tance is crit­i­cal for main­tain­ing sig­nal integrity. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#lsc)LSC See [*land­side capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#landside-capacitor-lsc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#m)m See [*mil­li*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#milli-m). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ma)mA Mil­liampere; see [mil­li](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#milli-m) and [ampere](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ampere-a). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#make-to-order-mto)make-to-order (MTO) A man­u­fac­tur­ing strat­e­gy where prod­ucts are pro­duced based on cus­tomer orders. Instead of main­tain­ing large inven­to­ries, com­pa­nies using MTO process­es man­u­fac­ture goods as orders are received, allow­ing for cus­tomiza­tion and reduc­ing excess inventory. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#make-to-stock-mts)make-to-stock (MTS) A man­u­fac­tur­ing approach where prod­ucts are pro­duced in antic­i­pa­tion of cus­tomer demand and stocked in inven­to­ry. This strat­e­gy is suit­able for prod­ucts with sta­ble and pre­dictable demand, allow­ing for faster deliv­ery to customers. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mea)MEA See [*mem­brane elec­trode assem­bly*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#membrane-electrode-assembly-mea). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#membrane)membrane A thin lay­er of mate­r­i­al that serves a spe­cif­ic func­tion in [elec­tro­chem­i­cal cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cells), such as bat­ter­ies, [fuel cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fuel-cell), and [elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer). A mem­brane acts as a phys­i­cal bar­ri­er between dif­fer­ent com­part­ments of the cell, like sep­a­rat­ing the [anode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode) and [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode) in an elec­trolyz­er, selec­tive­ly allow­ing cer­tain [ions](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ion) or mol­e­cules to pass through while block­ing oth­ers. While allow­ing ions to pass, mem­branes also pro­vide [elec­tri­cal insu­la­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#insulator) between the two sides of the cell. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#membrane-electrode-assembly-mea)membrane electrode assembly (MEA) A pre-assem­bled part used in fuel cells, [PEM elec­trol­y­sers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyser) and [AEM elec­trol­y­sers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#aem-electrolyser). In the mid­dle, there is a [mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#membrane) ( [PEM](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-pem) or [AEM](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anion-exchange-membrane-aem)). One side is called the [anode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#anode) side, and the oth­er is called the [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode) side, depend­ing on whether they are con­nect­ed to the pos­i­tive or neg­a­tive ter­mi­nal of a pow­er source. Adja­cent to the sides of the mem­brane is a [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst). A PEM elec­trolyz­er uses [irid­i­um](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#iridium) on the anode side and [plat­inum](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#platinum) on the cath­ode side. At the end of each side is a [porous trans­port lay­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-layer) that allows water and gas to be trans­port­ed to or from the mem­brane and cat­a­lyst, depend­ing on the function. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#memorandum-of-understanding-mou)memorandum of understanding (MoU) A for­mal but non-bind­ing agree­ment between two or more par­ties out­lin­ing the terms and details of an under­stand­ing, includ­ing the require­ments and respon­si­bil­i­ties of each par­ty. It can include bind­ing pro­vi­sions relat­ed to con­fi­den­tial­i­ty, exclu­siv­i­ty, or time­lines. An MoU is often used in sit­u­a­tions where par­ties either don’t imply a legal com­mit­ment or in sit­u­a­tions where the par­ties can­not cre­ate a legal­ly enforce­able agree­ment. It serves as a guide to the expec­ta­tions and is often a pre­cur­sor to a for­mal contract. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#metal-insulation-metal-capacitor-mim-capacitor)metal-insulation-metal capacitor (MIM capacitor) A type of capac­i­tor struc­ture where a [dielec­tric](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dielectric) mate­r­i­al is sand­wiched between two met­al lay­ers, com­mon­ly used with [inte­grat­ed cir­cuits](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#micro-%c2%b5)micro (µ) A pre­fix indi­cat­ing one-mil­lionth (10-6) of a unit, such as a microsec­ond or a micrometer. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#microchip)microchip See [*inte­grat­ed cir­cuit*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#integrated-circuit-ic). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#milli-m)milli (m) A pre­fix indi­cat­ing one-thou­sandth (10-3</) of a unit, such as a mil­ligram (mg) or a mil­lime­ter (mm). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mim)MIM See [*met­al-insu­la­tion-met­al*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#metal-insulation-metal-mim). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mlcc)MLCC See [*mul­ti-lay­er ceram­ic capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#multi-layer-ceramic-capacitor-mlcc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#moores-law)Moore’s law An obser­va­tion made by Gor­don Moore in 1965 which pre­dicts that the num­ber of [tran­sis­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#transistor) on a chip will dou­ble approx­i­mate­ly every two years, lead­ing to expo­nen­tial increas­es in com­put­ing pow­er and decreas­es in cost per transistor. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mosfet)MOSFET MOSFET is a met­al-oxide-semi­con­duc­tor field-effect [tran­sis­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#transistor). It is a type of tran­sis­tor often used in elec­tron­ic cir­cuits for ampli­fi­ca­tion and switch­ing pur­pos­es. It is known for its high effi­cien­cy, fast switch­ing speeds, and com­pact size. MOS­FETs have three ter­mi­nals: gate, source, and drain. By apply­ing a volt­age to the gate ter­mi­nal, an elec­tric field is cre­at­ed, allow­ing or block­ing the flow of cur­rent between the source and drain ter­mi­nals. Due to their low pow­er con­sump­tion and high-speed switch­ing capa­bil­i­ties, MOS­FETs are foun­da­tion­al com­po­nents in dig­i­tal [inte­grat­ed cir­cuits](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mou)MoU See [*mem­o­ran­dum of under­stand­ing*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#memorandum-of-understanding-mou). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mto)MTO See [*make-to-order*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#make-to-order-mto). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#mts)MTS See [*make-to-stock*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#make-to-stock-mts). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#multi-layer-ceramic-capacitor-mlcc)multi-layer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) A type of [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitor) con­struct­ed with mul­ti­ple lay­ers of [dielec­tric](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dielectric) and met­al lay­ers, result­ing in a com­pact struc­ture with high [capac­i­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitance). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#m%cf%89)mΩ Mil­liohm; see [mil­li](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#milli-m) and [ohm](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ohm-ω). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#n)n See [*nano*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nano-n). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#n-type)n‑type Refers to a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) in which the major­i­ty of charge car­ri­ers are elec­trons. This is achieved by intro­duc­ing [dopants](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dopants) into the semi­con­duc­tor mate­r­i­al with few­er [valence elec­trons](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#valence-electron) than the mate­r­i­al itself. The “n” stands for neg­a­tive, indi­cat­ing the electron’s neg­a­tive charge. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nano-n)nano (n) A pre­fix indi­cat­ing one-bil­lionth (10-9) of a unit, such as a nanosec­ond or nanometer. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nanofiber)nanofiber A fiber with a diam­e­ter on the [nanoscale](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nanoscale). Due to their minute size, nanofibers pos­sess high sur­face area-to-vol­ume ratios, lead­ing to enhanced mate­r­i­al prop­er­ties that dif­fer sig­nif­i­cant­ly from those of their bulk counterparts. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nanoscale)nanoscale The scale of mea­sure­ment at the nanome­ter lev­el. A nanome­ter (nm) is a unit of length equal to one bil­lionth of a meter. When some­thing is described as being on the nanome­ter scale, it typ­i­cal­ly means that its dimen­sions or fea­tures are less than 100 nanometers. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nanostructure)nanostructure A struc­ture with at least one dimen­sion in the [nanoscale](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nanoscale). These struc­tures often exhib­it phys­i­cal and chem­i­cal prop­er­ties dis­tinct from bulk mate­ri­als due to their small size and high sur­face area. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nda)NDA See [*the non-dis­clo­sure agree­ment*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#non-disclosure-agreement-nda). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nf)nF Nano­farad; see [nano](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nano-n) and [farad](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#farad-f). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#nm)nm Nanome­ter; see [nano](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nano-n). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#non-disclosure-agreement-nda)non-disclosure agreement (NDA) A legal­ly bind­ing con­tract between two or more par­ties that estab­lish­es a con­fi­den­tial rela­tion­ship. The agree­ment spec­i­fies that cer­tain infor­ma­tion shared between the par­ties must not be dis­closed to third par­ties. Often used in busi­ness set­tings when pro­pri­etary infor­ma­tion, trade secrets, or sen­si­tive data is shared, the non-dis­clo­sure agree­ment ensures that such details remain con­fi­den­tial and are not used for any pur­pose oth­er than what’s out­lined in the agree­ment. Vio­lat­ing the terms can result in legal penalties. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ohm-%cf%89)ohm (Ω) The SI unit for mea­sur­ing [resis­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#resistance) in [elec­tri­cal com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#components). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#p)p See [*pico*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#pico-p). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#p-type)p‑type Refers to a semi­con­duc­tor in which the major­i­ty of charge car­ri­ers are “holes” (miss­ing elec­trons, cre­at­ing a pos­i­tive charge). This is achieved by intro­duc­ing dopants into the semi­con­duc­tor mate­r­i­al with few­er [valence elec­trons](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#valence-electron) than the mate­r­i­al itself. The “p” stands for pos­i­tive, indica­tive of the pos­i­tive charge of the hole. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#p-n-junction)p–n junction A bound­ary or inter­face between two regions of a [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) material—one [doped](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#doped) with pos­i­tive charge car­ri­ers ( [p‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#p-type)) and the oth­er doped with neg­a­tive charge car­ri­ers ( [n‑type](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#n-type)). The p–n junc­tion is a fun­da­men­tal com­po­nent in semi­con­duc­tor devices. When a [volt­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#voltage) is applied across the junc­tion in a spe­cif­ic direc­tion, it allows cur­rent to flow (for­ward bias). In the oppo­site direc­tion, it blocks the cur­rent flow (reverse bias). This behav­ior is cru­cial for the func­tion­al­i­ty of diodes, tran­sis­tors, and oth­er semi­con­duc­tor devices in elec­tron­ic circuits. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#package)package See [*semi­con­duc­tor pack­ag­ing*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor-packaging). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pad)pad An exposed region of met­al on a sub­strate, such as a cir­cuit board or a die, to which an elec­tri­cal inter­con­nects to anoth­er device or sys­tem is created. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#passive-component)passive component A com­po­nent that does not require an exter­nal pow­er source to oper­ate and does not ampli­fy sig­nals. Pas­sive com­po­nents can store, fil­ter, or dis­si­pate ener­gy. Exam­ples include [resis­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#resistors), [capac­i­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitors), and [induc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductors). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pattern-catalyst)pattern catalyst A [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst) that is selec­tive­ly placed or formed in spe­cif­ic pat­terns, typ­i­cal­ly on a [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate) or sur­face. This pat­terned arrange­ment can be vital in process­es like grow­ing [car­bon nanofibers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-nanofibers-cnf), as it dic­tates the growth sites and direc­tion­al­i­ty of the [nanofibers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#nanofibers). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pcb)PCB See [*cir­cuit board*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pecvd)PECVD See [*plas­ma-enhanced chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposition-pecvd). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pem)PEM See [*pro­ton exchange mem­brane*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-pem). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pem-electrolysis)PEM electrolysis See [*pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolysis). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pem-electrolyzer)PEM electrolyzer See [*pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pem-water-electrolysis)PEM water electrolysis See [*pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis-pemwe). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pem-water-electrolyzer)PEM water electrolyzer See [*pro­ton exchange mem­brane water elec­trolyz­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-water-electrolyzer). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#permittivity)permittivity See [*absolute per­mit­tiv­i­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#absolute-permittivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ph)pH ① A scale used to spec­i­fy the acid­i­ty or basic­i­ty of an aque­ous solution. ② Pico­hen­ry; see [pico](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#pico-p) and [hen­ry](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#henry-h). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ph-d)**Ph.D.** See [*Doc­tor of Phi­los­o­phy*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#doctor-of-philosophy). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pico-p)pico ℗ A pre­fix indi­cat­ing one-tril­lionth (10-12) of a unit, such as a picosec­ond or picometer. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pin)pin A con­nec­tor designed as a pin intend­ed to be sol­dered into holes on a cir­cuit board. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#plasma)plasma One of the four fun­da­men­tal states of mat­ter, along­side sol­id, liq­uid, and gas. It is char­ac­ter­ized by the elec­trons being sep­a­rat­ed from their par­ent atoms or mol­e­cules. This sep­a­ra­tion of charged par­ti­cles gives plas­ma unique prop­er­ties, includ­ing [elec­tri­cal con­duc­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity) and the abil­i­ty to respond to elec­tro­mag­net­ic fields. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposition-pecvp)plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVP) A process used to [deposit](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deposition) thin film mate­ri­als from a gas state (vapor) to a sol­id state on a [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate). The process uti­lizes [plas­ma](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#plasma) to reduce the required tem­per­a­ture com­pared to stan­dard [chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chemical-vapor-deposition-cvd-cvd) (CVD). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#platinum-pt)platinum (Pt) Plat­inum (Pt) is a shiny, sil­very-white met­al with the sym­bol Pt. Known for its remark­able resis­tance to cor­ro­sion and high melt­ing point, plat­inum is a high­ly durable noble met­al. It is rel­a­tive­ly scarce in the Earth’s crust, con­tribut­ing to its high val­ue and cost. In the realm of [pro­ton exchange mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-pem) (PEM) [fuel cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fuel-cell) and [elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer), plat­inum plays a cru­cial role as a [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst), par­tic­u­lar­ly on the [cath­ode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cathode) side, where it effi­cient­ly facil­i­tates the reduc­tion of oxy­gen in fuel cells and the pro­duc­tion of [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) in electrolyzers. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#polarization-curve)polarization curve A graph­i­cal rep­re­sen­ta­tion of the volt­age ver­sus cur­rent of an [elec­tro­chem­i­cal cell](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrochemical-cell), which pro­vides infor­ma­tion about the per­for­mance and effi­cien­cy of the cell. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#polarization)polarization The phe­nom­e­non where there is a sep­a­ra­tion or shift in the cen­ters of pos­i­tive and neg­a­tive charges with­in a mate­r­i­al leads to an inter­nal elec­tric dipole. This can be induced by an exter­nal [elec­tric field](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electric-field) or as an inher­ent prop­er­ty of the mate­r­i­al. The extent of this sep­a­ra­tion deter­mines the material’s polar­iz­abil­i­ty, which influ­ences var­i­ous elec­tri­cal prop­er­ties, such as [capac­i­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitance) and [per­mit­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#absolute-permittivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#porous-transport-electrode-pte)porous transport electrode (PTE) An [elec­trode](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) with a [porous trans­port lay­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-layer-ptl). The term is used in PEM elec­trolyz­ers to include the cat­a­lyst depo­si­tion on the elec­trode in con­trast to the MEA, where the cat­a­lyst is usu­al­ly coat­ed on the PEM membrane. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#porous-transport-layer-ptl)porous transport layer (PTL) An [elec­trolyz­er cell mate­r­i­al](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer-cell-material-ecm) with a porous struc­ture designed to facil­i­tate the trans­port of gas­es or liq­uids, enhanc­ing the cell’s performance. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#power-rails)power rails Lines or tracks in an elec­tron­ic cir­cuit that deliv­er pow­er to the [com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) of the circuit. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#precursors)precursors Start­ing mate­ri­als that under­go a change to pro­duce some­thing else. In the con­text of [chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chemical-vapor-deposition-cvd-cvd) and [plas­ma-enhanced chem­i­cal vapor depo­si­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#plasma-enhanced-chemical-vapor-deposition-pecvd), pre­cur­sors are the spe­cif­ic gas­es or vapors intro­duced into the reac­tion cham­ber that will react to form the desired sol­id mate­r­i­al on a surface. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#printed-circuit-board-pcb)printed circuit board (PCB) See [*cir­cuit board*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#proton-exchange-membrane-pem)proton exchange membrane (PEM) A syn­thet­ic poly­mer [mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#membrane) that is a [sol­id-state elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#solid-state-electrolyte-sse), often used in [PEM-elec­trolyz­ers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzers) for [water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#water-electrolysis) and [fuel cells](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#fuel-cells). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolysis)proton exchange membrane electrolysis [Elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis) char­ac­ter­ized by hav­ing [elec­trodes](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrode) on each side of a [pro­ton exchange mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer)proton exchange membrane electrolyzer An [elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer) using a [pro­ton exchange mem­brane](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-pem). This device is employed for the pro­duc­tion of [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) through [water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#water-electrolysis). The pro­ton exchange mem­brane plays a piv­otal role by allow­ing pro­tons to pass through while block­ing elec­trons, facil­i­tat­ing the sep­a­ra­tion of hydro­gen and oxy­gen from water. PEM-elec­trolyz­ers are uti­lized in var­i­ous indus­tries, includ­ing ener­gy and man­u­fac­tur­ing, for gen­er­at­ing [green hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#green-hydrogen), a valu­able resource in pur­su­ing sus­tain­able and envi­ron­men­tal­ly friend­ly prac­tices. A mas­sive indus­tri­al scale-up of pro­duc­tion of PEM elec­trolyz­ers is ongo­ing to meet the needs of the extreme­ly fast-grow­ing green hydro­gen market. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#proton-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis-pemwe)proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) Elec­trol­y­sis using a [pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer) to split water into [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) and oxy­gen. Its main advan­tages are rapid adap­ta­tion to fluc­tu­a­tions in elec­tric­i­ty sup­ply, high ener­gy effi­cien­cy, and very clean hydro­gen. How­ev­er, the main dis­ad­van­tage is the use of [irid­i­um](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#iridium-ir) as a [cat­a­lyst](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#catalyst); irid­i­um is a rare and expen­sive metal. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#proton-exchange-membrane-water-electrolyzer)proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer [Pro­ton exchange mem­brane elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-electrolyzer) built for the pur­pose of [water elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#water-electrolysis). See also [*pro­ton exchange mem­brane water elec­trol­y­sis*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#proton-exchange-membrane-water-electrolysis-pemwe). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pt)Pt See [*plat­inum*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#platinum-pt). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#pte)PTE See [*porous trans­port elec­trode*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-electrode-pte). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ptl)PTL See [*porous trans­port lay­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-layer-ptl). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#raman-spectroscopy)raman spectroscopy A tech­nique used to study the make­up and char­ac­ter­is­tics of mate­ri­als by shin­ing a laser light on them and observ­ing how the wave­length shifts in scat­tered light. The shift­ed inten­si­ty can reveal infor­ma­tion about the mol­e­cules in the mate­r­i­al. This method is wide­ly used to iden­ti­fy sub­stances and under­stand their properties. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#rdl)RDL See [*the redis­tri­b­u­tions lay­er*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#redistributions-layer). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#reactance)reactance A com­po­nent of [imped­ance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#impedance) that explic­it­ly rep­re­sents oppo­si­tion to changes in [alter­nat­ing cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#alternating-current-ac) (AC) due to either [capac­i­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#capacitance) or [induc­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductance). Reac­tance does not dis­si­pate ener­gy as [induc­tance](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#inductance) does. Instead, it results in a phase shift between [volt­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#voltage) and [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) in an AC cir­cuit. It’s mea­sured in [ohms](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ohm-ω) (Ω) and can be either capac­i­tive (neg­a­tive reac­tance) or induc­tive (pos­i­tive reactance). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#redistribution-layer-rdl)redistribution layer (RDL) A lay­er in [advanced pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#advanced-packaging) of [semi­con­duc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) that reroutes and redis­trib­utes elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions from the ini­tial lay­out to a dif­fer­ent layout. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#relative-permittivity)relative permittivity The ratio of a material’s [absolute per­mit­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#absolute-permittivity) (ε) to the absolute per­mit­tiv­i­ty of a vac­u­um (ε0). It is often denot­ed εr or κ. Rel­a­tive per­mit­tiv­i­ty is a dimen­sion­less quan­ti­ty and pro­vides a com­par­a­tive mea­sure of how well a mate­r­i­al can become [polar­ized](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#polarized) in response to an [elec­tric field](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electric-field) rel­a­tive to the absolute per­mit­tiv­i­ty of a vacuum. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#resistance)resistance A prop­er­ty of a [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) in a cir­cuit that quan­ti­fies the loss in flow of elec­tric cur­rent, result­ing in the con­ver­sion of elec­tri­cal ener­gy into heat. Resis­tance is quan­ti­fied in [ohms](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ohm-ω) (Ω) and is a fun­da­men­tal con­cept in elec­tron­ic cir­cuits, deter­min­ing how much a com­po­nent or mate­r­i­al will resist the [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) flow. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#resistor)resistor An elec­tron­ic [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) designed to intro­duce a spe­cif­ic amount of resis­tance into a cir­cuit, there­by lim­it­ing or con­trol­ling the flow of elec­tric [cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#semiconductor)semiconductor ① A mate­r­i­al whose [elec­tri­cal con­duc­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity) lies between that of con­duc­tors (like met­als) and [insu­la­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#insulator) (like glass). Semi­con­duc­tors can con­duct more elec­tric­i­ty by [dop­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#doping), mak­ing them essen­tial for mod­ern elec­tron­ics. Devices like [tran­sis­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#transistor), diodes, and inte­grat­ed cir­cuits are built using semi­con­duc­tors. Com­mon semi­con­duc­tor mate­ri­als include sil­i­con and gal­li­um arsenide. ② In com­mon par­lance, it may also refer to com­po­nents, usu­al­ly inte­grat­ed cir­cuits, made from semi­con­duc­tor materials. ③ In com­mon par­lance, it may also refer to the indus­try pro­duc­ing semi­con­duc­tor components. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#semiconductor-packaging)semiconductor packaging The process of enclos­ing or encap­su­lat­ing a [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) or dice to pro­vide mechan­i­cal sup­port, pro­tect from phys­i­cal dam­age, dis­si­pate heat, and pro­vide elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions. Exam­ples of elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions are [dual in-line pack­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dual-in-line-package-dip) (DIP), [ball grid array](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ball-grid-array-bga) (BGA), and [chip-on-board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip-on-board-cob) (COB). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#silicon-capacitor-sicap)silicon capacitor (SiCap) See [*deep trench capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deep-trench-capacitor-dtc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#sicap)SiCap See [*deep trench capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deep-trench-capacitor-dtc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#sip)SiP See [*sys­tem-in-pack­age*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#system-in-package-sip). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#slp)SLP See [*sub­strate-like PCB*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate-like-pcb-slp). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#smd)SMD See [*sur­face-mount­ed device*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#surface-mounted-device-smd). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#smolgrow)SmolGrow Smoltek’s trade­mark for a pro­pri­etary tech­nol­o­gy to grow [car­bon nanofibers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-nanofiber-cnf) in pre­cise­ly defined patterns. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#smoltek-ecm)Smoltek ECM Smoltek’s trade­mark for a [porous trans­port lay­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#porous-transport-layer-ptl) enhanced with [car­bon nanofibers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#carbon-nanofiber-cnf) cov­ered by an atom­ic lay­er of [plat­inum](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#platinum-pt) for [cor­ro­sion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#corrosion) pro­tec­tion and with [irid­i­um](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#iridium) atoms on the outside. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#soc)SoC See [*sys­tem-on-chip*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#system-on-chip-soc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#solder-ball)solder ball A con­nec­tor shaped like a ball intend­ed to be sol­dered to a pad on a [cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board) or anoth­er [sub­strate](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#substrate). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#solder-bump)solder bump See [*sol­der balls*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#solder-ball). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#solid-state-electrolyte-sse)solid-state electrolyte (SSE) An [elec­trolyte](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyte) that is in a sol­id form. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#sputter)sputter Sput­ter­ing is a method where atoms are eject­ed from a sol­id or liq­uid tar­get mate­r­i­al due to the bom­bard­ment of the tar­get by ener­getic par­ti­cles, typ­i­cal­ly [ions](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ion) of an inert gas like argon. The dis­lodged atoms con­dense onto a near­by sub­strate, form­ing a thin film. This tech­nique is com­mon­ly used in indus­tries such as elec­tron­ics for deposit­ing met­als or [con­duc­tive](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity) films onto surfaces. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#substrate)substrate The under­ly­ing mate­r­i­al or lay­er often serv­ing as a base on which process­es occur or mate­ri­als are deposit­ed, espe­cial­ly in elec­tron­ics and [semi­con­duc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#substrate-like-pcb-slp)substrate-like PCB (SLP) An advanced type of PCB that close­ly mim­ics the prop­er­ties of a semi­con­duc­tor sub­strate, offer­ing enhanced elec­tri­cal per­for­mance and minia­tur­iza­tion capa­bil­i­ties. Char­ac­ter­ized by their ultra-fine line and space widths, typ­i­cal­ly below 25 microm­e­ters, SLPs enable the inte­gra­tion of more com­po­nents on a small­er sur­face area, mak­ing them ide­al for com­pact, high-per­for­mance elec­tron­ic devices. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#surface-mounted-device)surface-mounted device An [elec­tron­ic com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) designed to be mount­ed and sol­dered direct­ly onto the sur­face of a [cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board) or oth­er substrate. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#system-in-package-sip)system-in-package (SiP) A [semi­con­duc­tor pack­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor-packaging) that con­tains mul­ti­ple [com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component), such as proces­sors, mem­o­ry, and capac­i­tors, in a sin­gle pack­age allow­ing for a more com­pact and inte­grat­ed solution. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#system-on-chip-soc)system-on-chip (SoC) An inte­grat­ed cir­cuit that con­sol­i­dates the nec­es­sary elec­tron­ic cir­cuits of var­i­ous com­put­er com­po­nents on a sin­gle chip. Well-known exam­ples are proces­sors for com­put­ers or mobile phones, which have ded­i­cat­ed func­tions for graph­ic pro­cess­ing (GPU), cen­tral pro­cess­ing (CPU), cache mem­o­ry, neur­al engines, and the like, all inte­grat­ed on a sin­gle chip. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#titanium-ti)titanium (Ti) A strong, lus­trous met­al with a sil­very-gray appear­ance and the chem­i­cal sym­bol Ti. Renowned for its excep­tion­al strength-to-weight ratio, tita­ni­um is high­ly resis­tant to cor­ro­sion, even in sea­wa­ter. It is the ninth most abun­dant ele­ment in the Earth’s crust, but its extrac­tion and pro­cess­ing are chal­leng­ing, which con­tributes to its val­ue. In the con­text of elec­tro­chem­i­cal appli­ca­tions, tita­ni­um is not typ­i­cal­ly used as a cat­a­lyst in PEM elec­trolyz­ers.\[[b\]](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#cmnt2) ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#through-silicon-vias-tsv)through-silicon vias (TSV) Ver­ti­cal elec­tri­cal con­nec­tions that pass com­plete­ly through a sil­i­con [wafer](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#wafer) or [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die). Through-sil­i­con vias are used to con­nect the front and back sides of a wafer or die, enabling [the 3D inte­gra­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#3d-integration) of [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) [com­po­nents](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#transistor)transistor A [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) [com­po­nent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#component) used to ampli­fy or switch elec­tron­ic sig­nals and pow­er is fun­da­men­tal to mod­ern elec­tron­ic devices. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#trench-silicon-capacitor-tsc)trench silicon capacitor (TSC) See [*deep trench capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deep-trench-capacitor-dtc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#tsc)TSC See [*deep trench capac­i­tor*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#deep-trench-capacitor-dtc). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#ultra-thin-capacitor)ultra-thin capacitor A [capac­i­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#3capacitor) with an extreme­ly small phys­i­cal thick­ness. A [dis­crete](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#discrete) ultra-thin capac­i­tor typ­i­cal­ly has a thick­ness in the range of 100 µm (0.1 mm). They are used in appli­ca­tions where space is at a pre­mi­um, like smart­phones and smartwatches. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#v)V See [*volt*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#volt-v). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#valence-band)valence band The ener­gy lev­els of the [valence elec­trons](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#valence-electron). This band is com­plete­ly filled with elec­trons in intrin­sic (pure) [semi­con­duc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) at absolute zero tem­per­a­ture. When ener­gy is pro­vid­ed (e.g., through heat), elec­trons in the valence band can gain enough ener­gy to jump to the [con­duc­tion band](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#conduction-band), leav­ing behind holes. The move­ment of these elec­trons and holes under an elec­tric field enables semi­con­duc­tors to con­duct electricity. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#valence-electron)valence electron An elec­tron in the out­er­most shell of an atom. These elec­trons deter­mine an atom’s chem­i­cal prop­er­ties and its abil­i­ty to bond with oth­er atoms. In the con­text of [semi­con­duc­tors](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor), the behav­ior of valence elec­trons plays a crit­i­cal role in deter­min­ing the [con­duc­tiv­i­ty](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrical-conductivity) of the mate­r­i­al, espe­cial­ly when [dopants](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#dopants) are introduced. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#volatile)volatile A term describ­ing sub­stances that can quick­ly turn into a gas or vapor. For exam­ple, water is volatile because it evap­o­rates eas­i­ly when heated. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#volt-v)volt (V) The SI unit of elec­tri­cal poten­tial ener­gy and [volt­age](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#voltage). One volt is equiv­a­lent to one joule of elec­tric poten­tial ener­gy per coulomb of charge. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#voltage)voltage The dif­fer­ence in elec­tri­cal poten­tial ener­gy. It acts as an elec­tri­cal pres­sure that dri­ves the [elec­tric cur­rent](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#current) in a cir­cuit. It is mea­sured in [volts](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#volt-v). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#w2w)W2W See [*wafer-to-wafer*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#wafer-to-wafer-w2w). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#wafer)wafer A thin slice of [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor), such as sil­i­con, used for the fab­ri­ca­tion of [inte­grat­ed cir­cuits](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#chip). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#wafer-bonding)wafer bonding A process for join­ing two [wafers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#wafer) togeth­er direct­ly or using an inter­me­di­ate lay­er. This tech­nique can be used for cre­at­ing com­plex mul­ti-lay­ered [semi­con­duc­tor](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor) struc­tures or devices. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#wafer-level-package-wlp)wafer level package (WLP) A type of [semi­con­duc­tor pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#semiconductor-packaging) where the pack­ag­ing process is applied direct­ly at the [wafer](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#wafer) lev­el, rather than to indi­vid­ual [die](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#die) after the wafer has been diced. This can result in a more com­pact and cost-effec­tive pack­age com­pared to tra­di­tion­al pack­ag­ing methods. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#wafer-to-wafer-w2w)wafer-to-wafer (W2W) A process in which entire [wafers](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#wafer) are bond­ed or aligned to one anoth­er, often used in [advanced pack­ag­ing](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#advanced-packaging) and [3D inte­gra­tion](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#3d-integration). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#water-electrolysis)water electrolysis [Elec­trol­y­sis](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolysis) of water for the pur­pose of split­ting water into [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) and oxygen. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#water-electrolyzer)water electrolyzer An [elec­trolyz­er](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#electrolyzer) used to split water into [hydro­gen](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#hydrogen-h) and oxygen. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#wire-bonding)wire bonding A tech­nique that uses thin wires, often made of gold or alu­minum, to cre­ate elec­tri­cal inter­con­nects, typ­i­cal­ly between a die and a [cir­cuit board](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#circuit-board). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#year-over-year-yoy)year-over-year (YoY) A com­par­i­son of a sta­tis­tic or met­ric between two con­sec­u­tive years. It’s used to see if some­thing has grown, shrunk, or stayed the same from one year to the next, typ­i­cal­ly shown as a percentage. ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#yoy)YoY See [*year-over-year*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#year-over-year-yoy). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%ce%b5)ε See [*absolute per­mit­tiv­i­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#absolute-permittivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%ce%b50)ε0 See [*rel­a­tive per­mit­tiv­i­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#relative-permittivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%ce%b5r)εr See [*rel­a­tive per­mit­tiv­i­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#relative-permittivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%ce%ba)κ See [*rel­a­tive per­mit­tiv­i­ty*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#relative-permittivity). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%c2%b5)µ See [*micro*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#micro-µ). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%c2%b5f)µF Micro­farad; see [micro](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#micro-μ) and [farad](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#farad-f). ## [](https://www.smoltek.com#%cf%89)Ω See [*ohm*](https://www.smoltek.com/glossary/#ohm-ω).