Module Identifier PH33710  
Module Title SCIENCE OF SEMICONDUCTOR APPLICATIONS  
Academic Year 2006/2007  
Co-ordinator Professor Andrew Evans  
Semester Semester 2  
Other staff Dr Tudor E Jenkins, Professor Keith Birkinshaw  
Pre-Requisite PH33610 , PH24510  
Course delivery Lecture   22 lectures  
  Seminars / Tutorials   Example classes and tutorials  
Assessment
Assessment TypeAssessment Length/DetailsProportion
Semester Exam2 Hours end of semester examination  80%
Semester Assessment Continuous Assessment: test  20%
Supplementary Exam2 Hours  100%

Learning outcomes

After taking this module students should be able to:

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

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6