ECE 631 - Spring 2016

ECE 631 - Microelectronic Processing Technology

Instructor

Professor William S. Wong

Course Description

This course will offer an introduction to the principles and practices of fabrication of integrated circuits and evolving nanoelectronic technology. Major emphasis will be on unit processes of silicon technology although several aspects of GaAs and other compound semiconductor technologies and organic semiconductor technologies will also be covered. Topics to be covered in this course are:

  1. Overview of Semiconductor IC Process technologies.
  2. Crystal growth (Czochralski, Float Zone, polishing, gettering, challenges)
  3. Oxidation (kinetics, Deal-Grove model, rate constants, high pressure oxidation, dopant effects, two and three dimensional effects, defects)
  4. Deposition techniques (vacuum evaporation, sputtering, CVD, LPCVD)
  5. Epitaxy (including MBE, MOCVD, CBE, UHV-CVD)
  6. Diffusion (Fick's model, concentration dependent models, field effect, band-gap narrowing effect, anomalous effects)
  7. Ion implantation (Ion stopping, range distributions, damage, annealing, high energy implants)
  8. Rapid thermal annealing
  9. Lithography (optical, e-beam and x-ray; resists)
  10. Etching (wet chemical, dry reactive ion-etching, anisotropic etches, defect delineation)
  11. Interconnect technology
  12. Yield and safety issues and evolving strategies (cluster tool, microfactory etc) (if time permits)
  13. Special topics: Flexible Electronics

Prerequisites

ECE 209; ECE 331; Level at least 4A Computer Engineering or Electrical Engineering.

Term Project Paper based on Course Topics

Format for Project Paper

The review can be conducted and presented based on the following elements:

  1. INTRODUCTION: An introduction to the general field related to its history, advantages, disadvantages, materials/device/technology options, and current state of the art.
  2. SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL BACKGROUND: A scientific/technical treatment of the topic containing the fundamental phenomena, theoretical background, underlying mechanisms, current understanding, and major areas of focus.
  3. CURRENT CHALLENGES (If Applicable): An overview on current issues/limitations, its root causes, and potential solutions.
  4. RECENT ADVANCES: A highlight of recent developments in the field related to the topic and the current state-of-the-art results. Provide analysis of the state-of-the-art advances and its impact on the future direction of the technology.
  5. Conclusions: Summarize the relevant information and analysis of the project topic.

Written Report

A written report presenting the main findings of the literature search on the topic is due by 4:30 PM on Monday, July 26, 2016. Email an electronic copy (.pdf) to the instructor, and place a hard copy of the report in the instructor’s mail slot (ECE reception area in EIT)

  • The report should include: (i) title page, (ii) abstract, (iii) main body, and (iv) references sections.
  • The “abstract” should be no longer than 100 words, and should concisely capture the main points of the report.
  • The “main body” should typically be 7-10 double-spaced pages (excluding any figures and/or tables), font size 12, and includes sections using the same titles/subtitles as outlined above in the Format section. The report with text and figures should be no more than 15 pages.
  • The “references” section should give full citation of all referenced work using IEEE format. A minimum of 5 scientific journal references is required.
  • Report Marking Scheme: INTRODUCTION (15%), SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL BACKGROUND (45%), CURRENT CHALLENGES AND RECENT ADVANCES (30%), and Conclusions (10%). The grading scheme is a guide and the actual distribution may change slightly due to the nature of the topic presented.

Textbook

Course notes

Grade Distribution

  • Project and Assignments: 50%
  • Final: 50%