Increasing the degree of integration of hardware components imposes more stringent requirements for the reduction of the concentration of contaminants and oxidation stacking faults in the original silicon wafers with its preservation in the IC manufacturing process cycle. This causes high relevance of the application of gettering in modern microelectronic technology. The existing methods of silicon wafers gettering and the mechanisms of their occurrence are considered.

The review summarizes development of microelectronics in the developed countries over the period of 7–10 years until 2008, when the economic crisis started to effect the global economy. The data from Stat World Fab Watch has been used in the paper. Achievements and potential of "Integral" PC — the parent organization responsible for the microelectronic industry in Belarus — are also reviewed.

The method was suggested and the laser control set-up was developed of the arrow bend and bend profile of the semiconductor wafers. It was established, that on the basis of determining the inclination angle of tangent at any point of the surface due to deflection registration of the r eflected laser beam from the position, corresponding to reflection from the ideally plat surface, by means of its scanning by one of the wafer diameters it is possible to determine its bend profile.