Basic Overview of Semiconductor Device Processing and IC Fabrication

ABOUT THE COURSE: The course aims to help students understand how unit processes used in a systematic and logical sequence can help build on a single die, a plethora of semiconductor devices connected in a circuit – the integrated circuits. Practical aspects of semiconductor processing and fabrication labs will be touched upon which should be useful for future experimentalists as well a new employees taking up jobs in the semiconductor manufacturing industry.INTENDED AUDIENCE: Senior UG and PG studentsPREREQUISITES: Currently anyone electrical / electronics engineering background with solid state device exposure can take this course. Anyone familiar with basic levels of semiconductor devices, mathematics and physics can take the courseINDUSTRY SUPPORT: Semiconductor manufacturing is just taking off in India. Some Indian and many international companies will be interested: Tatas, Micron, BEL, Samsung, TSMC, Global Foundries, Texas Instruments, Motorola, …and so on.

Syllabus

Week 1: General Overview - history, integration and scaling trends in VLSI
Week 2:IC Device Process Integration - patterning process and p-n junction diode as example devices;
Week 3:IC Device Process Integration CMOS
Week 4:Support Technologies - clean-rooms; and vacuum systems, plasma for processing, basic material and electrical characterisation
Week 5:Substrates - silicon wafer fabrication, silicon-on-insulator wafers, alternate substrates
Week 6:Unit Additive Processes: oxidation and nitridation of silicon
Week 7:Unit Additive Processes: Diffusion and Ion-Implantation
Week 8:Unit Additive Processes: Thermal evaporation, chemical vapour deposition (CVD), sputter deposition, etc.;
Week 9:Unit Patterning Process - photo-lithography;
Week 10:Unit Subtractive Processes - wet etching, reactive ion etching, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP), etc.;
Week 11:Process Control - statistical quality control (SQC) and design of experiment (DoE);
Week 12:New Trends - 3-D integration in devices and packaging, electronics printing and flexible device processing