ECE 55600 - Fundamentals of Microelectronics Processing (VLSI)

Course Details

Lecture Hours: 3 Credits: 3

Areas of Specialization:

  • Microelectronics and Nanotechnology

Counts as:

  • EE Elective
  • CMPE Selective - Special Content

Normally Offered:

Fall - odd years

Requisites:

ECE 30500

Catalog Description:

Detailed investigation of the basic principles of 'unit' processes used in the fabrication of solid-state devices and integrated circuits. Emphasis is placed on the fundamental aspects of film desposition, wet etching, anisotropic dry etching, crystal growth, ion implantation, and chemical vapor deposition of metals and insulators.

Required Text(s):

  1. Silicon VLSI Technology, Fundamentals, Practice and Modeling , J. D. Plummer, M.D. Deal, and P.B. Griffin , Prentice-Hall , 2000 , ISBN No. 0-13-085037-3

Recommended Text(s):

  1. The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication , 2nd Edition , S. A. Campbell , Oxford Press , 2001 , ISBN No. 0-19-513605-5

Learning Outcomes

A student who successfully fulfills the course requirements will have demonstrated:

  • a basic knowledge of fabrication unit processes for impurity diffusion in crystals and rapid thermal processing
  • an understanding of thermal oxidation and computer simulation using SUPREM-4
  • an understanding of ion implantation and calculations, including the design of an impurity profile of more than one impurity using SUPREM-4
  • an understanding of wet and dry etching of materials
  • an understanding of chemical vapor deposition of materials and simulation using ThermoEMP software
  • a basic understanding of metal deposition techniques
  • conceptual understanding of photolithography fundamentals

Lecture Outline:

Weeks Major Topics
1 Introduction to Microelectronic Fabrication
1 Semiconductor Substrates
1 Diffusion in Silicon
1 Thermal Oxidation of Single-Crystal Silicon
1 Ion Implantation
1 Rapid Thermal Processing
2 Silicon Epitaxial Film Growth
2 Chemical Vapor Deposition
1 Refractory Metals and their Silicides in VLSI
2 Wet and Dry Etching
1 Sputtering and Evaporation
1 Examinations

Assessment Method:

Literature search, presentation, homework, and exams.