Semiconductor Processing

Lecture topics:

Week 1

Introduction, short overview: from quartz to microprocessor. Overview of bipolar monolithic processing steps.

Practice: Doping, resistivity, potentials in various structures realized using semiconductor processing steps.

Week 2

Variety of devices and circuits realized with semiconductor processing technologies

Practice: Orders of magnitude, concentration and sizes-relations in monolithic IC technology

Week 3

Overview of monolithic MOS IC technology, CMOS and BiCMOS circuits.

Discrete bipolar and MOS devices, power devices, IGBT.

Week 4

Manufacturing and characterization of monocrystalline Si (the raw material of IC manufacturing).

Analog and digital integrated circuits.

Week 5

Silicon dioxide (SiO2): properties, processing steps and its importance in semiconductor processing. Characterization of the SiO2 and C-V methods. 

Pratice: Evaluation of C-V curves (calculation of doping, surface and interface properties from the C-V curves and p-n junctions and MOS curves).

Week 6

Doping of Si: diffusion. Mathematical models of diffusion.

Practice: Modelling random walk (diffusion) with transition-probability matrix.

Week 7

Doping of Si: ion implantation.

Processors (catalogue IC, ASIC and FPGA circuits).

Week 8

Doping of Si: ion implantation (continued).

Memories (ROM, PROM, EPROM, SRAM, DRAM)

Week 9

Deposition processes: evaporation and sputtering.

CVD processes and epitaxy.

Week 10

Wet and dry chemical etching processes.

Plasma technologies.

Week 11

Metallization and forming of wiring network. Metal-semiconductor contacts. Damascene technology. Assembly and packaging related processes.

Week 12

Effects and challenges of scale-down on manufacturing processes

Mask/reticle preparation and photolithography in sub-micron structures.

Week 13

Processing technologies of devices of ambient intelligence and smart systems. Sensors and transduction techniques. Self-powered sensors: possibilities of energy harvesting.

Principles of device arrangement in VLSI circuits.

Week 14

Introduction of MEMS. Realization of sensors and actuators.

Practice: IC and MEMS layout and structure evaluation.

The lectures accompanied by classroom practices (2 hours in every second week).