SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS

AND MICROELECTRONICS

Izzani Mohd Israz 2013742633

Nurul Afiqah Abdul Rahim 2013475976
Nurul Ibtisam Mat Seman 2013707673
Nur Aiman Nabihah Ahmad Sarbini 2013383197
PHY605 / AS251 5D
 THE VACUUM TUBES..
Were widely used for various purposes in electronics, mostly voltage and power amplification, before
the invention of solid state semiconductor devices in the 1940's. Since then semiconductor devices
have gradually replaced vacuum tubes in most of such applications. [1]

Semiconductor materials are widely used due to

many of their favorable properties such as small
size, light weight, low energy consumption, high
frequency capability, and high reliability.

BUT... WHAT IS SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL?

Vacuum tube vs transistor (one of device formed by

semiconductor material)

[1] Source from / Photo credits to http://fourier.eng.hmc.edu/e84/lectures/ch4/node1.html 2

Before we learn more about
semiconductor material,
Let us introduce you the material concepts first.

3
 1.
INTRODUCTION TO MATERIAL
In this section, we will study the general material concept ;
definition of material, classification, and its simple overview.

4
DEFINITION OF MATERIAL, MATERIAL SCIENCE AND MATERIAL ENGINEERING
Material

Having a logical connection with a subject matter or the consequential

events or facts, or the knowledge of which would significantly affect a
decision or course of action

Material Science

Materials Science involves the study of the relationships between the

synthesis, processing, structure, properties, and performance of materials
that enable an engineering function.

Material Engineering

Materials engineers research the behavior of materials used in industry to

help make them stronger, lighter or more durable.

5
MATERIAL TYPES [1]
Material can be classified into two types : Engineering material and advanced material. The
classifications can be seen as below :
TYPE OF MATERIAL

ENGINEERING ADVANCED
MATERIAL MATERIAL

Semiconductor
Metal Ceramic

Biomaterial
Composite
Polymer

We will see the explanation of each type of material on the next slide.
6
[2] Source from / Photo credits to http://www.slideshare.net/adhiprimartomo/mme-323-materials-science-week-1-intro-to-materials-science-engineering
MATERIAL TYPES : 1. Metal
Most Utilized Engineering Materials
General properties :
* strength & stiffness high
* toughness & formability high
* electrical & thermal conductivity
high
Usually used in Alloy ( mixed of 2 @ more metals )
Examples : steel, aluminium, magnesium, zinc, copper and nickel

Figure 1 : Metal (a. Steel ; b. Aluminium ; c. Copper ; d. Titanium)

7
MATERIAL TYPES : 2. Ceramic

A compound containing metallic & non-metallic element formed by the action of heat
General properties :
* hard & brittle
* compressive strength high
* resistance to chemical action
and weathering
* thermal insulator high
( thermal conductivity low )
Examples : sand, brick, glass, graphite and tile

Figure 2 : Ceramic (a. Tile ; b. Pottery ; c. Sand ; d. Glass)

8
MATERIAL TYPES : 3. Polymer

Organic compounds, formed by repeating structural unit (Mers), where the atoms
share electron to form very large molecules

General properties :
* light weight
* low thermal & electrical
conductivity
* moderate resistance on Inorganic
Acids, Bases & Salts
Examples : PVC, polyethylene, rubber, and
nylon

Figure 4 : Polymer (a. Polyethylene ; b. PVC ; c. rubber ; d. melamine)

9
MATERIAL TYPES : 4. Composite

Combination of two or more different material

Better properties than any individuals component
Examples : fiberglass, textiles, vehicle tires, wood and papers

Figure 5 : Composite (a. Carbon fibre ; b. Fiberglass ; c. Wood ; d. Textile)

10
MATERIAL TYPES : 5. Semiconductor
Semiconductors are a special case of electronic material that combines two differently
electrically conductive materials, usually ceramics
A semiconductor is also known as a P-N junction, where one material allows loose electrons to
move through an ordered structure, and the other allows holes (where an electron could be, but
is not) to move in the same way.
This behavior and the interactions between charge carriers and photons and phonons allows
semiconductors to store binary information, form logic gates, and convert between voltage, light,
heat, and force as sensors and emitters
Examples : DVD player, telephone

Figure 6 : Semiconductor companies that involve with semiconductor material

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MATERIAL TYPES : 6. Biomaterial
A natural or synthetic material (as a metal or polymer) that is suitable for
introduction into living tissue especially as part of a medical device (as an artificial
joint)
Biomaterials are used in:
* Joint replacements.
* Bone plates & Bone cement.
* Artificial ligaments and tendons.
* Dental implants for tooth fixation.
* Blood vessel prostheses.
* Heart valves.
* Skin repair devices (artificial tissue)

Figure 7 : Biomaterial [3]

[3] Source from / Photo credits to http://www.slideshare.net/fisiopatologiabicocca/14-biomaterials 12

CLASSIFICATION OF FUNCTIONAL MATERIAL [3]

Figure 8 : Classification of materials based on function [4]

[4] Source from / Photo credits to http://slideplayer.com/slide/4886772/ 13

SIMPLE MATERIAL CONCEPTS OVERVIEW [4]

Figure 9 : Simple material concepts overview [5]

[5] Source from / Photo credits to http://www.tut.fi/en/about-tut/departments/materials-science/index.htm 14

 2.
SEMICONDUCTOR
In this section, we will learn about the general semiconductor
concepts .

15
WHAT IS SEMICONDUCTOR??

crystalline or amorphous solids with distinct electrical characteristics.

They are of high resistance but still of much lower than insulators. Their resistance
decreases as their temperature increases, which is behavior opposite to that of a metal.
Finally, their conducting properties may be altered in useful ways by the deliberate,
controlled introduction of impurities ("doping") into the crystal structure, which lowers its
resistance but also permits the creation of semiconductor junctions between differently-
doped regions of the extrinsic semiconductor crystal. The behavior of charge carriers which
include electrons, ions and electron holes at these junctions is the basis
of diodes, transistors and all modern electronics.

16
WHAT IS SEMICONDUCTOR??
Semiconductor devices can display a range of useful properties such as passing current
more easily in one direction than the other, showing variable resistance, and sensitivity to
light or heat. Because the electrical properties of a semiconductor material can be modified
by doping, or by the application of electrical fields or light, devices made from
semiconductors can be used for amplification, switching, and energy conversion.

Doping greatly increases the number of charge carriers within the crystal. When a doped
semiconductor contains mostly free holes it is called "p-type", and when it contains mostly
free electrons it is known as "n-type". The semiconductor materials used in electronic
devices are doped under precise conditions to control the concentration and regions of p-
and n-type dopants. A single semiconductor crystal can have many p- and n-type regions;
the pn junctions between these regions are responsible for the useful electronic behavior.

Although some pure elements and many compounds display semiconductor

properties, silicon, germanium, and compounds of gallium are the most widely used in
electronic devices. Elements near the so-called "metalloid staircase", where the metalloids
are located on the periodic table, are usually used as semiconductors.

17
SEMICONDUCTOR PROPERTIES

The semiconductor properties are as below :

-Variable conductivity
-Heterojunction
-Excited Electron
-Light Emission
-Thermal Energy Conversion

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SEMICONDUCTOR PROPERTIES : Variable Conductivity

Semiconductors in their natural state are poor conductors because a

current requires the flow of electrons, and semiconductors have their
valence bands filled, preventing the entry flow of new electrons.

There are several developed techniques that allow semiconducting

materials to behave like conducting materials, such as doping or
gating. These modifications have two outcomes: n-type and p-type.
These refer to the excess or shortage of electrons, respectively.

An unbalanced number of electrons would cause a current to flow

through the material.

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SEMICONDUCTOR PROPERTIES : Heterojunction

Heterojunctions occur when two differently doped semiconducting

materials are joined together. For example, a configuration could
consist of p-doped and n-doped germanium.

This results in an exchange of electrons and holes between the

differently doped semiconducting materials. The n-doped germanium
would have an excess of electrons, and the p-doped germanium would
have an excess of holes.

The transfer occurs until equilibrium is reached by a process called

recombination, which causes the migrating electrons from the n-type to
come in contact with the migrating holes from the p-type.

A product of this process is charged ions, which result in an electric

field.
.
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SEMICONDUCTOR PROPERTIES : Excited Electron

A difference in electric potential on a semiconducting material would

cause it to leave thermal equilibrium and create a non-equilibrium
situation.

This introduces electrons and holes to the system, which interact via a
process called ambipolar diffusion. Whenever thermal equilibrium is
disturbed in a semiconducting material, the amount of holes and
electrons changes.

Such disruptions can occur as a result of a temperature difference or

photons, which can enter the system and create electrons and holes.

The process that creates and annihilates electrons and holes are
called generation and recombination.
.

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SEMICONDUCTOR PROPERTIES : Light Emission

In certain semiconductors, excited electrons can relax by emitting light

instead of producing heat. These semiconductors are used in the
construction of light-emitting diodes and fluorescent quantum dots.

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 SEMICONDUCTOR PROPERTIES : Thermal Energy Conversion
Semiconductors have large thermoelectric power factors making them useful in thermoelectric
generators, as well as high thermoelectric figures of merit making them useful in thermoelectric
coolers.

Figure 10 : Energy Bandgap in Materials [6] Figure 11 : Properties of semiconductor types [7]

[6] Source from / Photo credits to http://www.mouser.com/applications/wide-bandgap-beyond-silicon

[7] Source from / Photo credits to http://asdn.net/asdn/physics/semiconductor.php
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TYPES OF SEMICONDUCTOR

There are two types of

semiconductor ;

Intrinsic
Semiconductor
and
Extrinsic
Semiconductor

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SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Intrinsic Semiconductor

An intrinsic semiconductor, is an undoped semiconductor is a

pure semiconductor without any significant dopant species present.
The number of charge carriers is therefore determined by the
properties of the material itself instead of the amount of impurities. In
intrinsic semiconductors the number of excited electrons and the
number of holes are equal: n = p.

The electrical conductivity of intrinsic semiconductors can be due to

crystallographic defects or electron excitation. In an intrinsic
semiconductor the number of electrons in the conduction band is equal
to the number of holes in the valence band. An example is Hg0.8
Cd0.2Te at room temperature.

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SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Intrinsic Semiconductor
In an intrinsic semiconductor such as silicon at temperatures above absolute
zero, there will be some electrons which are excited across the band gap into
the conduction band and which can support charge flowing.

When the electron in pure silicon crosses the gap, it leaves behind an electron
vacancy or "hole" in the regular silicon lattice. Under the influence of an
external voltage, both the electron and the hole can move across the material.

In an n-type semiconductor, the dopant contributes extra electrons,

dramatically increasing the conductivity. In a p-type semiconductor, the dopant
produces extra vacancies or holes, which likewise increase the conductivity. It
is however the behavior of the p-n junction which is the key to the enormous
variety of solid-state electronic devices.

The current which will flow in an intrinsic semiconductor consists of both

electron and hole current.

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SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Intrinsic Semiconductor

Figure 12 : Energy Band Diagram of Intrinsic Semiconductor

(a) at 0K (b) Temperature > 0K

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SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Extrinsic Semiconductor
An extrinsic semiconductor is one that has been doped, giving it different electrical properties than
the intrinsic (pure) semiconductor. This doping involves adding dopant atoms to an intrinsic
semiconductor, which changes the electron and hole carrier concentrations of the semiconductor
at thermal equilibrium, the temperature at which two adjacent substances exchange no heat energy.

Dominant carrier concentrations in an extrinsic semiconductor classify it as either an n-type or p-

type semiconductor. The electrical properties of extrinsic semiconductors make them essential
components of many electronic devices.

Donor impurity atoms have more valence electrons than the atoms they replace in the intrinsic
semiconductor lattice. Donor impurities "donate" their extra valence electrons to a semiconductor's
conduction band, providing excess electrons to the intrinsic semiconductor. Excess electrons
increase the electron carrier concentration (n0) of the semiconductor, making it n-type.

Acceptor impurity atoms have fewer valence electrons than the atoms they replace in the intrinsic
semiconductor lattice. They "accept" electrons from the semiconductor's valence band. This provides
excess holes to the intrinsic semiconductor. Excess holes increase the hole carrier concentration (p0)
of the semiconductor, creating a p-type semiconductor.

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SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Extrinsic Semiconductor
EXTRINSIC SEMICONDUCTOR

N-type P-type
p-type semiconductors have a larger hole concentration than
N-type semiconductors have a larger electron concentration
electron concentration.
than hole concentration.
The term p-type refers to the positive charge of the hole. In p-
The term n-type comes from the negative charge of the
type semiconductors, holes are the majority carriers and
electron. In n-type semiconductors, electrons are the majority
electrons are the minority carriers.
carriers and holes are the minority carriers.
P-type semiconductors are created by doping an intrinsic
N-type semiconductors are created by doping an intrinsic
semiconductor with acceptor impurities (or doping an n-type
semiconductor with donor impurities (or doping a p-type
semiconductor).
semiconductor as done in the making of CMOS chips).
A common p-type dopant for silicon is boron. For p-type
A common dopant for n-type silicon is phosphorus. In an n-
semiconductors the Fermi level is below the intrinsic Fermi
type semiconductor, the Fermi level is greater than that of the
level and lies closer to the valence band than the conduction
intrinsic semiconductor and lies closer to the conduction band
band.
than the valence band

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SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Extrinsic Semiconductor

Figure 13 :

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 SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Extrinsic Semiconductor
USES OF EXTRINSIC SEMICONDUCTOR
1. A semiconductor diode (devices that allow current in only one direction) consists of p-type and n-
type semiconductors placed in junction with one another. Currently, most semiconductor diodes use
doped silicon or germanium.

Figure 14 : Semiconductor Diode [8]

[8] Source from / Photo credits to http://www.physics-and-radio-electronics.com/electronic-devices-and-circuits/semiconductor-

diodes/pnjunctionsemiconductordiode.html
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 SEMICONDUCTOR TYPE : Extrinsic Semiconductor
USES OF EXTRINSIC SEMICONDUCTOR
2. Transistors (devices that enable current switching) also make use of extrinsic semiconductors.
Bipolar junction transistors (BJT), which amplify current, are one type of transistor. The most common
BJTs are NPN and PNP type. NPN transistors have two layers of n-type semiconductors sandwiching
a p-type semiconductor. PNP transistors have two layers of p-type semiconductors sandwiching an n-
type semiconductor.

Figure 15 : PNP Transistor Diagram [9]

[9] Source from / Photo credits http://www.pa.msu.edu/~pratts/phy232/lectures/semiconductors/transistors.html 32

 SO..
We already studied semiconductor concepts at previous slides. Next we
will learn about the semiconductor material.

33
 3.
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL
In this section, we will learn about the general semiconductor
material concepts .

34
WHAT IS SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL??

technically small band gap insulators.

The defining property of a semiconductor material is that it can be doped with impurities
that modify its electronic properties in a controllable way.

Because of their application in the computer and photovoltaic industry, in devices such as
transistors, lasers and solar cells, the search for new semiconductor materials and the
upgrading of existing materials is an important field of study in materials science.

Most commonly used semiconductor materials are crystalline inorganic solids. These
materials are classified according to the periodic table groups of their basic atoms.

35
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL CLASSIFICATION

Semiconductor Material

Single Semiconductor Compound Semiconductor

36
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Single Semiconductor
A semiconductor is a substance whose electrical conductivity lies between that of a conductor like
copper or aluminum and an insulator like rubber or glass.

It can conduct electricity under some conditions but insulate electricity under other conditions. Of the
92 elements existing on the earth, only several elements, including silicon (Si), germanium (Ge) and
selenium (Se), can behave as semiconductors.

Si Ge Se

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SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Single Semiconductor ; Si
Silicon is the most widely used type of semiconductor material.

One of the prominent German scientists wrote in an article about silicon that this
era is the silicon era since silicon impacted and still affecting the modern
civilization development very much.

Each has four valence electrons, but germanium will at a given temperature have
more free electrons and a higher conductivity.

Silicon is by far the more widely used semiconductor for electronics, partly
because it can be used at much higher temperatures than germanium.

38
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Single Semiconductor ; Si
Advantages and Disadvantages of Si are :

Advantages Disadvantages
Easy to fabricate Performance degrades badly at high
temperatures

Provides good general electrical and Very poor at transmitting light

mechanical properties

Forms high quality silicon oxide that is
used for insulation layers between
different active elements of the IC
Abundantly available in earth's crust so
its easily available resulting in low cost
Electron hole mobility in silicon is very
poor, and this is a barrier to higher
performance

High band gap therefore less leakage

current

39
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Single Semiconductor ; Ge
In solid state electronics, either pure silicon or
germanium may be used as the intrinsic semiconductor
which forms the starting point for fabrication.

Each has four valence electrons, but germanium will at

a given temperature have more free electrons and a
higher conductivity.

Ge advantages and disadvantages can be seen below:

Advantages Disadvantages
Requires lower purity Low stable temperature

A better charge carrier mobility Lower power handling

40
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Compound Semiconductor
In contrast to a semiconductor composed of a single element, one composed of two or more elements is
called a compound semiconductor.

Typical examples of compound semiconductors include gallium arsenide (GaAs), gallium nitride (GaN),
indium phosphide (InP), zinc selenide (ZnSe), and silicon carbide (SiC).

GaAs GaN InP ZnSe SiC

41
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Compound Semiconductor

42
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Compound Semiconductor ; GaAs
Gallium arsenide is the second most widely used type of semiconductor after silicon.
It is widely used in high performance RF devices where its high electron mobility is utilized.
It is also used as substrate for other III-V semiconductors, for example InGaAs and GaInNAs.

Advantages Disadvantages
Six times higher electron mobility than Brittle and expensive
silicon which allows faster operation
Wider band gap, which allows operation of Insulation layers can not be created by just
power devices at higher temperatures growing an oxide layer
Gives lower thermal noise to low power Has a lower hole mobility than Silicon
devices at room temperature
Its direct band gap gives it more favorable Has high leakage current
optoelectronic properties
Can be alloyed to ternary and quaternary
compositions

43
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Compound Semiconductor ; SiC
Also known as carborundum is a compound of silicon and carbon with chemical formula SiC.
It occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite.
Silicon carbide powder has been mass-produced since 1893 for use as an abrasive
SiC is used in semiconductor electronics devices that operate at high temperatures or high voltages, or both

Advantages Disadvantages
SiC can carry much higher currents High cost
(almost 5 times) compared to silicon
SiC has a much higher thermal
conductivity (roughly 3 times) compared to
silicon.
Has a higher energy band gap

44
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Compound Semiconductor ; InAs
Indium arsenide, InAs, or indium
monoarsenide, is a semiconductor
composed of indium and arsenic.

It has the appearance of grey

cubic crystals with a melting point
of 942 C

It is very similar to gallium

arsenide and is a material having
a direct bandgap.

Advantages
Narrow energy bandgap

High electron mobility

45
Figure 16 : A list of all common semiconductor materials
46
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL: Comparisons of common material used

The silicon (Si) is most widely used material in semiconductor devices. Its
having lower raw material cost and relatively simple process. Its useful temperature
range makes it currently the best compromise among the various competing materials.
Silicon used in semiconductor device manufacturing is presently fabricated into bowls
that are large enough in diameter to allow the manufacture of 300 mm (12 in.) wafers.

Germanium (Ge) was a widely used in early semiconductor material, but its
thermal sensitivity makes less useful than silicon. Nowadays, germanium is often
alloyed with (Si) silicon for use in very-high-speed SiGe devices; IBM is a main
producer of such devices.

Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is also widely used with high-speed devices,

but so far, it has been difficult to form large-diameter bowls of this material, limiting the
wafer diameter sizes significantly smaller than silicon wafers thus making mass
production of Gallium arsenide (GaAs) devices significantly more expensive than
silicon.

47
 4.
TECHNOLOGY FROM
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL
Let us see few examples of the devices formed by the
semiconductor material, and the relationship between it with
microeletronics.

48
 SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY: Application Devices
Semiconductor materials and devices have become ubiquitous in our daily lives, enabling modern home
appliances, toys, computing and communication devices, transportation systems, and medical equipment.
There are various application devices formed by the semiconductor, but in our discussions, we will show
some examples of them. The list of common semiconductor devices mainly includes two terminals, three
terminals and four terminal devices.

Figure 17 : Common semiconductor devices [10]

[10] Source from / Photo credits https://www.elprocus.com/semiconductor-devices-types-and-applications/ 49

 SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY: Application Devices

The two-terminal devices are Three-terminal devices are Four-terminal devices are
Diode (rectifier diode) Bipolar transistor Photo couple (Optocoupler)
Gunn diode Field-effect transistor Hall effect sensor (magnetic field
IMPATT diode Darlington transistor sensor)
Laser diode Insulated-gate bipolar transistor
Zener diode (IGBT)
Schottky diode Unijunction transistor
PIN diode Silicon-controlled rectifier
Tunnel diode Thyristor
Light-emitting diode (LED) TRIAC
Photo transistor
Photocell
Solar cell
Transient-voltage-suppression diode
VCSEL

We will discussed three examples of the devices :

Schottky diode
Light-emitting diode (LED)
Quantum Dot

50
 SEMICONDUCTOR TECHNOLOGY: Application Devices

SCHOTTKY DIODE [11]
it is a semiconductor diode with a
very fast switching action, but a low
forward voltage drop.
Schottky diodes are used for the
voltage clamping applications and
prevention of transistor saturation
due to the high current density in
that diodes. They are also used as
rectifiers in power supplies.
Schottky diodes are used in many
applications compare to other types
of diodes that do not perform well.
The features of Schottky diode
mainly include the following
Higher efficiency
Low forward voltage drop
Low capacitance
Low profile surface-mount
package, ultra-small
Integrated guard ring for stress
protection
LIGHT EMITTING DIODE (LED) [12]
The LED is a light source which uses
semiconductors&electroluminescence
to create light. There are two major
kinds of light emitting diodes: LED
and OLED.
LED lamp is popular due to it's
efficiency and many believe it is a
'new' technology. It is commonly used
as indication lights on devices, small
and large lamps, traffic lights, large
video screens, signs, street
lighting(although this is still not
widespread)
The Organic LED is made of a layer of
organic electroluminescent material
with p/n junction sandwiched between
to electrodes. It is commonly used as
Lamps - short distance indoor lamps
(produces a diffused light)
Displays - small: phones and media
devices and large: televisions,
computer monitors
QUANTUM DOT [13]
Quantum dots (QD) are very
small semiconductor particles,
only several nanometres in size,
so small that their optical and
electronic properties differ from
those of larger particles.
They are a central theme
in nanotechnology.
Many types of quantum dot will
emit light of specific frequencies
if electricity or light is applied to
them, and these frequencies can
be precisely tuned by changing
the dots' size, shape and
material, giving rise to many
applications.

[11] Source from / Photo credits https://www.elprocus.com/schottky-diode-working-and-applications/

[12] Source from / Photo credits http://www.edisontechcenter.org/LED.html
[13] Source from / Photo credits https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_dot
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 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTOR AND
MICROELECTRONICS [14]

Todays mainstream electronics manufacturing consists mainly of

semiconductor packages
And

surface mount technology processes.

Together, the two make up the vast majority of readily acknowledged devices from cell
phones to PCs, tablets, and laptops. Even smart high-end toasters leverage these two
technologies. The resulting products also end up in automobiles, stereos, TVs, and remote
controls.

[14] Source from / Photo credits to http://www.palomartechnologies.com/blog/bid/117936/Understanding-the-Relationship-Between-

Semiconductors-SMT-and-Microelectronics
52
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTOR AND
MICROELECTRONICS
A lesser known technology, however, is working its way into both of these markets -

Below are some abbreviated definitions, meant to gain some common understanding before diving in further:

SMT (Surface Mount Technology) examples include a Hybrid Microelectronics multiple ICs/packages
motherboard in a PC, or an FR4 board with ICs, resistors, incorporated into a space-saving package. This can
and capacitors reflow soldered making a completed include SMT and semiconductor technologies and
electronic product. The number of products built with this can be very complexmixed technologies that allow
technology is staggeringly large. for powerful and/or small final products. The number
of products built with this technology is small
compared to SMT and semiconductor packaging,
Semiconductor consider lead frame packages but it is a growing market.
with a single IC that is die-attached, wire-bonded,
and over-molded. These packages are made by the
millions, can be surface mounted, and soldered into
through hole substrates/FR4 boards. The number
of products built with the technology is staggeringly
large.

53
 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SEMICONDUCTOR AND
MICROELECTRONICS
While SMT technology generally incorporates semiconductor products, semiconductor
products do not typically include SMT components.

Microelectronics can incorporate both, and the result is smaller and usually
faster final products.

Just as SMT technologies incorporate semiconductor packages but rarely the other way
around, microelectronics can incorporate both semiconductor and SMT technologies
to create complex packages and products.

WELL, can you see the relationship between semiconductor and microelectronics now?

54
CREDITS
Special thanks to all the people who made and released these
awesome references and sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconductor_materials
http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/data/semicond/semiconductor/semiconductor-
materials-types-list.php
http://phys.org/news/2015-08-silicon-limits-power-electronics-revolution.html
http://www.testandmeasurementtips.com/why-silicon-and-germanium-are-
semiconductors/
http://www.anvil-semi.co.uk/advantages-of-silicon-carbide-in-power-electronics/
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/1021562/

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