A die is an unpackaged, bare chip. A die is the formal term for the square of silicon containing an integrated circuit. Die is singular, and dice is plural. The terms die and chip are often used synonymously. A die, in the context of integrated circuits, is a small block of semiconducting material on which a given functional circuit is fabricated. Typically, integrated circuits are produced in large batches on a single wafer of electronic-grade silicon (EGS) or other semiconductor (such as GaAs) through processes such as photolithography. The wafer is cut (diced) into many pieces, each containing one copy of the circuit. Each of these pieces is called a die.
