PH33710 - SCIENCE OF SEMICONDUCTOR APPLICATIONS

Module Identifier	PH33710
Module Title	SCIENCE OF SEMICONDUCTOR APPLICATIONS
Academic Year	2002/2003
Co-ordinator	Dr Andrew Evans
Semester	Semester 2
Other staff	Dr Keith Birkinshaw, Dr Tudor E Jenkins
Pre-Requisite	PH24510 , PH33610
Course delivery	Lecture	22 lectures
	Seminars / Tutorials	Example classes and tutorials
Assessment	Semester Exam	2 Hours end of semester examination	80%
	Semester Assessment	Continuous Assessment: /test	20%

Learning outcomes

After taking this module students should be able to:

describe the complete route from the production of semiconductor substates and thin film structures to the production of packaged electronic devices
critically analyse the technical issues involved (size, cost, power consumption etc.) in the production of an integrated device.
design a simple digital circuit and layout the design using CAD tools.

Brief description

In combination with Semiconductor Physics, the Semiconductor Applications module will not only provide students with an understanding of the physics underlying semiconductor devices and applications but also introduce them to the processing of semiconductors to produce devices.
1) wafer production - single crystal
2) wafer processing - lithography
3) characterisation
4) device preparation
5) the VLSI design process

There will be an optional integrated circuit design experiment in the third year advanced laboratory class to reinforce (4) above and give a literacy in computer aided design (CAD) tools.

Content

Introduction to science of semiconductors and microelectronic technology.

Physics and chemistry of bulk semiconductor growth. Epitaxial growth of thin films.

Wafer processing:
oxidation, insulating films; lithography (optical, x-ray, electron-beam, ion-beam); etching (wet chemical, plasma, reactive ion); dopant diffusion, ion implantation; metallisation.

Physics of electron, ion and photon interaction with matter.

Bulk and thin film characterisation techniques:
electrical (conductivity, mobility), optical (reflectance, luminescence), compositional (spectroscopy, microscopy), structural (diffraction, scanned probe).

Statistical process control, quality control analysis:
Device electrical testing, VLSI testing.

Circuits: digital circuits, linear circuits, U and VLSI, gate arrays, ASICS.
Circuit design, VLSI design.
Device/circuit computer simulation.

Reading Lists

Books
M Jaros. Physics and Applications of Semiconductor Microstructures. Oxford
N Weste and K Eshraghian. Principles of CMOS design.
DV Morgan and K Board. An Introduction to Semiconductor Microtechnology. J Wiley
I Brodie and JJ Murray. Physics of Microfabrication. Plenum