Semiconductor Fabrication Technology: Course Overview

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology
Course Overview
Professor M. K. Moravvej-Farshi Spring 2006
Outline
Introduction Silicon Processing History of ICs Review of Semiconductor Devices Conductivity and Resistivity MOS Transistors Hot-Point Probe 4-Point Probe
Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1) Oxidation / 2
May 1, 2012
Growth of Electronics Industry
Electronics industry is fundamentally dependent

on semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs).
May 1, 2012
Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)
Oxidation / 3
What do you learn in this course?
This course deals with the fabrication of semiconductor devices and ICs.
ICs today have over 107 components per chip,

and this number is growing. Fabricating these circuits requires a sophisticated process sequence which consists of hundreds of process steps.
Well go through a process sequence to make

complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors.
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 4
Types of Semiconductors
Elemental Si
Compound GaAs, InP (III-V)
Ge
CdS, CdTe (II-VI)
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 5
Silicon vs. Germanium

Ge was used for transistors initially, but Si took over
in the late 1960s; WHY?

(1) Large variety of process steps possible without the problem of decomposition (as in
the case of compound semiconductors)

(2) Si has a wider bandgap than Ge
higher operating temperature (125-175 oC

vs. ~85 oC)
May 1, 2012 Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1) Oxidation / 6
Silicon vs. Germanium

(3) Si readily forms a native oxide (SiO2)
high-quality insulator
protects and passivates underlying circuitry
helps in patterning
useful for dopant masking
(4) Si is cheap and abundant.
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 7
Silicon Disadvantages
Low carrier mobility (m) slower circuits (compared to GaAs) Material Si Ge GaAs Mobility (cm2/V-s) mn = 1500, mp = 460 mn = 3900, mp = 1900 mn = 8000, mp = 380
Indirect bandgap:
Weak absorption and emission of light

Most optoelectronic applications not possible
May 1, 2012
The Transistor
Bell Labs invented the transistor in 1947, but didnt believe ICs were a viable technology Reason: Yield
For a 20 transistor circuit to work 50% of the
time, the probability of each device functioning

must be: (0.5)1/20 = 96.6%

Thought to be unrealistic at the time

1st transistor 1 mm 1 mm Ge
May 1, 2012
ICs and Levels of Integration
1st IC: Texas Instrument (TI) and Fairchild (late 50s)
A few transistors and resistors RTL

RTL Resistor Transistor Logic
Levels of integration have doubled every 3-4 years

since the 1960s)
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 10
Moores Law
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 11
Complexity Acronyms

SSI = small scale integration (~100 components) MSI = medium scale integration (~1000 components) LSI = large scale integration (~105 components) VLSI = very large scale integration (~105-106 components) ULSI = ultra large scale integration (~106-109 components) GSI = giga-scale integration (> 109 components)
May 1, 2012
State of the Art

1 GB DRAM 90 nm features 12 diameter wafers Factory cost: ~ $3-4B
Only a few companies can afford to be in this business!
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 13
Diamond Lattice
Tetrahedral
structure 4 nearest neighbors
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 14
Covalent Bonding
Each valence electron shared with a nearest neighbor
Total of 8 shared valence

electrons stable configuration
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 15
Doping
Intentional addition of impurities

Adds either electrons (e) or holes (h+) varies
the conductivity (s) of the material
Adding more e : n-type material
Adding more h+: p-type material
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 16
Donor Doping
Impurity donates extra

e to the material Example: Column V elements with 5 valence es (i.e., As, P)
Result: one extra loosely

bound e
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 17
Acceptor Doping
Impurity accepts extra

e from the material Example: Column III elements with 3 valence es (i.e., B)
Result: one extra loosely

bound h+
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 18
Ohms Law
J = sE = E/r
where: s = conductivity, r = resistivity,

and E = electric field
s = 1/r = q(mnn+ mpp)
where: q = electron charge, n = electron concentration, and p = hole concentration

For n-type samples: s qmnND For p-type samples: s qmpNA

May 1, 2012
Resistance and Resistivity
R = rL/A
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 20
MOSFET
Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor

IDn D + + VSG G S + V SB B + V SD
G
+
B V GS
+ V BS S n-channel device
V DS
-I Dp
D
p-channel device
G = gate, D = drain, S = source, B = body (substrate)

MOSFET Cross-Section
S VG
VD > 0 ID
oxide n+ L D p-type Si S
ID
n+
cross-sectional view (not to scale)
top view (not to scale)
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 22
Basic Operation
1) Source and substrate grounded (zero voltage) 2) (+) voltage on the gate
Attracts es to Si/SiO2 interface; forms channel
3) (+) voltage on the drain

es
in the channel drift from source to drain
current flows from drain to source
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 23
Hot-Point Probe
Determines whether a semiconductor is n- or p-type

Requires:
Hot
probe tip (soldering iron)
Cold
probe tip
Ammeter
Hot-Point Probe
1) Heated probe creates high-energy majority carriers

holes if p-type
electrons if n-type
2) High-energy carriers diffuse away
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 25
Hot-Point Probe
3) Net effect: a) deficit of holes (net negative charge for p-
type); OR
b) deficit of electrons (net positive charge for n-type) 4) Ammeter deflects (+) or ()
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 26
4-Point Probe
Used to determine resistivity
May 1, 2012
Oxidation / 27
4-Point Probe
1) Known current (I) passed through outer probes
2) Potential (V) developed across inner probes

r = (V/I)tF where: t = wafer thickness F = correction factor (accounts for probe geometry) or: Rs = (V/I)F where: RS = sheet resistance (W/) r = RSt

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Semiconductor Fabrication Technology

Professor M. K. Moravvej-Farshi Spring 2006

Growth of Electronics Industry

Electronics industry is fundamentally dependent

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

What do you learn in this course?

ICs today have over 107 components per chip,

Well go through a process sequence to make

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Compound GaAs, InP (III-V)

CdS, CdTe (II-VI)

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Silicon vs. Germanium

in the late 1960s; WHY?

the case of compound semiconductors)

higher operating temperature (125-175 oC

Silicon vs. Germanium

(4) Si is cheap and abundant.

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Weak absorption and emission of light

For a 20 transistor circuit to work 50% of the

time, the probability of each device functioning

Thought to be unrealistic at the time

ICs and Levels of Integration

1st IC: Texas Instrument (TI) and Fairchild (late 50s)

A few transistors and resistors RTL

Levels of integration have doubled every 3-4 years

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

State of the Art

1 GB DRAM 90 nm features 12 diameter wafers Factory cost: ~ $3-4B

Only a few companies can afford to be in this business!

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Each valence electron shared with a nearest neighbor

Total of 8 shared valence

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Intentional addition of impurities

the conductivity (s) of the material

Adding more e : n-type material

Adding more h+: p-type material

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Impurity donates extra

Result: one extra loosely

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Impurity accepts extra

Result: one extra loosely

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

where: s = conductivity, r = resistivity,

s = 1/r = q(mnn+ mpp)

where: q = electron charge, n = electron concentration, and p = hole concentration

For n-type samples: s qmnND For p-type samples: s qmpNA

Resistance and Resistivity

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor

G = gate, D = drain, S = source, B = body (substrate)

cross-sectional view (not to scale)

top view (not to scale)

Semiconductor Fabrication Technology (Lecture 1)

Attracts es to Si/SiO2 interface; forms channel

3) (+) voltage on the drain

in the channel drift from source to drain