EC4120: Introduction to Microelectronics Technology

According the University booklet

Fundamental principles of Silicon integrated circuit fabrication process.
Technological limitations on IC design.
Physical chemical models of bulk and epita!ial crystal gro"th.
#!idation$ diffusion$ ion%implantation photo%engraving.
&eometrical layout of bipolar$ '#S devices ICs.
IC design methodology.
(esign automation economic trade%offs.
Microelectronics Technology:
Credit )ours* +
Assessment:
Course "ork ,-.
/!am 0-.
EC4120: Introduction to Microelectronics Technology
Evolution of Devices:
Pre 1-s Vacuum tubes
2ate 1-s Transistor invented at Bell Labs
2ate 3-s First IC (JK-FF by Jack Kilby at TI)
In 2! Kilby "on t#e $obel %ri&e in '#ysics (or t#e invention o( t#e
IC
)arly *s +mall +cale Inte,ration (++I) -s o( transistors on a c#i%
Late *s .edium +cale Inte,ration (.+I) -s o( transistors on a c#i%
)arly /s Lar,e +cale Inte,ration (L+I)
)arly 0s VL+I -!s o( transistors on a c#i% (later -!s 1 no"
-!!s)
2ltra L+I (2L+I) is sometimes used (or -!!s
SSI* The first integrated circuits contained only a fe" transistors provided a fe" logic
gates for e!ample. 4ith SSI circuits$ the Americans "ere able to land on the moon$ an
astonishing 5leap for mankind6. The average price per integrated circuit dropped from
73-.-- in 89:+ to 7+.-- in 89:;.
MSI: developments "ere driven primarily by economic factors. Production costs are
the same as$ or slightly more than$ SSI.
LSI: Also driven by economic factors$ 8-
th
of thousands of transistors per chip <e.g.
calculator chips$ microprocessor$ etc=
VLSI: 8--
th
of thousand of transistors per chip.
ULSI: Ultra 2arge scale integration.
Moores La: The original 'oore>s 2a" derives from a speech given by &ordon
'oore$ later a founder of Intel$ in 89:3$ in "hich he observed that the number of
microcomponents that could be placed in an integrated circuit <microchip= of the lo"est
manufacturing cost "as doubling every year and that this trend "ould likely continue into
the future. As this observation and prediction began to be fre?uently cited$ it became
kno"n as 'oore>s 2a". In later years$ the 2a" "as occasionally reformulated to mean
that rate. The pace of change having slo"ed do"n a bit over the past fe" years$ the
definition has changed <"ith &ordon 'oore>s approval= to reflect that the doubling
occurs only every 8; months.
In general$ as the feature si@e shrinks$ almost everything improvesAthe cost per unit and
the s"itching po"er consumption go do"n$ and the speed goes up. )o"ever$ ICs "ith
nanometer%scale devices are not "ithout their problems$ principal among "hich is
leakage current <see sub%threshold leakage for a discussion of this=. Introduction of high%
k dielectrics reduces the effects of miniaturi@ation above. Since these speed and po"er
consumption gains are apparent to the end user$ there is fierce competition among the
manufacturers to use finer geometries. This process$ and the e!pected progress over the
ne!t fe" years$ is "ell described by the International Technology Boadmap for
Semiconductors <ITBS=.
!a"er Scale Integration #!SI$: an attempt to produce larger ICs <e.g.
,C!,C= to avoid e!ternal connections of groups of ICs. Deeded for massively parallel
computers or supercomputers. Problems include* failures in fabrication means the entire
<large= "afer should be scrapped.
SoC <system on a chip=* all components of a system <e.g a computer= in one chip. 'ay
contain analogue and digital functions on the same chip$ BF$ (SP etc.
%&'ICs: 3-. of po"er consumption is due to interconnects. ,( integration consists of
stacking ICs and connecting them vertically$ replacing long hori@ontal interconnects "ith
shorter vertical lines. 'emory has al"ays been vie"ed as the key application for this ,(
TSE market.
)3am%le e((ect o( miniaturisation4 VC5 c#i% si&e "it# time6
International Technology (oad)a*:
&roup of F 8--- companies$ academicGresearch institutions$ governmental bodies etc. A
plan has been produced detailing the steps needed to maintain the developments of
semiconductor devices$ circuits$ ICs etc for the ne!t 83 years and beyond$ "ill 'oore6s
la" hold trueH #nly time "ill tellI