COURSE DESCRIPTION

The Semiconductor Technology Seminar is an intensive five days training course that addresses the needs of scientists, engineers, and technicians newly involved in design, development, testing, production, management, procurement or evaluation of semiconductors. While the course will add to the knowledge and understanding of experienced technologists it is an essential course for all new entries into the industry. This training seminar covers modern semiconductor processes in sub-micron CMOS, BICMOS and bipolar, from a historical perspective. The course systematically reduces semiconductor theory to current practice through the use of visual examples and design graphics in basic materials, production processing and device operation. The impact of processing on yield, performance, and reliability issues is explored throughout the course. Emphasis is on imparting to the student an experience and understanding of the fundamental process and device concepts essential to the development of a productive career in the industry.

The expanded 7th edition of the Semiconductor Technology Handbook includes a comprehensive set of tables, graphs, nomographs, and exercises that apply to situations of frequent concern to semiconductor technologists. The Handbook provides a focus for the lectures and work sessions during the seminar and serves as a valuable permanent reference.

Both the Semiconductor Technology Course and Handbook have been a “standard” in the industry for many years. The authors of the handbook are the course instructors.

Larry Lopp
Adrian Cogan Ph.D.

COURSE SCHEDULE

FIRST DAY

Introduction: Overview of semiconductor industry, contemporary CMOS process flow with cross sections, Semiconductor Technology Roadmap.

Yield: Global sales data, wafer yield models and market dynamics.

Silicon Materials: Silicon purification and single crystal growth, wafer manufacture and gettering processes.

Cleaning & Oxidation process: Cleaning effects, dry & wet growth kinetics, multiple step, HCL, pressure enhanced, oxide isolation technology, oxide thickness control and determination, dopant redistribution, oxidation of Si₃N₄.

SECOND DAY

Cleaning & Oxidation process: (Continued)
Photo & Etch: Masking process: DSW, positive and negative reversal resists; minimum line width, depth of focus, phase shifting; wet etch, plasma etch, combination etch, plasma damage.
Dopant Introduction & Implantation: Process explanation, profiles, channeling, R_P, ΔR_P, ΔR_L, boron anomalies, masking, measurement tools, activation, Qsi.
Dopant Movement Diffusion: Dopant solubility, diffusion rates, characteristic diffusion length, profiles, dopant layer evaluations.

THIRD DAY

CVD: Epitaxial Si, polycrystalline Si, oxides, nitrides, metals, silicides films. Atmospheric, low pressure, plasma enhanced processes. Measurements techniques. Shallow trench using CVD & CMP.
PVD: Requirements, contact resistance, electromigration, stress voids. Aluminum systems, tungsten plug formation, copper systems, single and dual damascene & contemporary interconnect technology.
Semiconductor Physics: Energy band model, electrons & holes, majority & minority carriers, Fermi levels, conduction, mobility, resistivity, carrier lifetime, effects on device properties.

FOURTH DAY

Diodes: Junction diodes, diode characteristics, abrupt junction, electric field and potential distribution, voltage breakdown, switching, leakage currents. Schottky diodes.
Bipolar: Bipolar fundamentals, bipolar process flow, current gain, transport, voltage limitations, leakage, switching performance, BICMOS.
CMOS: MOS fundamentals, surface effects, C/V measurement, TDDB, V_t definition, transistor operating characteristics, switching principles

FIFTH DAY

CMOS: Isolation technology, DRAM principles, ionizing radiation, scaling rules & impact, EPROMS, EEPROMS, flash memories, DMOS.
Assembly: Assembly flow, die attach, lead bonding, bump technology, packages, BGA technology, failure mechanisms of packaged devices.
Quality Control & Failure Analysis: statistical process control, failure mechanisms & activation energies, failure analysis tools & techniques.