Topic#1 Introduction To Semiconductors Industry
Topic#1 Introduction To Semiconductors Industry
Topic#1 Introduction To Semiconductors Industry
Solid State
Fabrication,
Packaging and
Failure Analysis
ECE 4B/T 1-2:30/TH 1-2:30/COE52
Course Description
At the end of the course, the students should be able to
Semiconductor Physics - Explain and apply basic
concepts of semiconductor physics relevant to devices
Semiconductor Devices - Describe, explain, and
analyze the operation of important semiconductor
devices in terms of their physical structure
Problem Analysis Analyze and find causes of defect
caused by fabrication and ESD
Circuit Analysis - Analyze and design microelectronic
circuits for linear amplifier and digital applications
Course Outline:
1. Review
of material science of
semiconductor devices
2. Introduction to Semiconductor Industry
3. Packaging Technologies (Ceramic,
Plastics)
4. IC Assembly
5. External Visual Criteria
6. Failure Analysis
7. Cause analysis using 8Discipline
8. Reliability Statistics
9. Activation Energy
10.Bath Tub Curve
Introduction to
Semiconductors Industry
Topic #1 Wafer Fab and Assembly Overview
Introduction to
Semiconductors
What is Semiconductor?
Asemiconductoris a material which has electrical
conductivitybetween that of a conductorsuch as copper and
that of an insulatorsuch as glass.
Semiconductors are the foundation of modern electronics,
including transistors, solar cells, light-emitting diodes(LEDs),
quantum dotsand digital and analog integrated circuits.
The modern understanding of the properties of a
semiconductor relies on quantum physicsto explain the
movement of electronsinside a latticeof atoms.
The increasing understanding of semiconductor materials
and fabrication processes has made possible continuing
increases in the complexity and speed of semiconductor
devices, an effect known asMoore's Law.
Semiconductor History
Devices using semiconductors were at first constructed based
on empirical knowledge, before semiconductor theory
provided a guide to construction of more capable and reliable
devices.
Alexander Graham Bellused the light-sensitive property of
selenium toPhotophone transmit sound over a beam of
light in 1880.
A working solar cell, of low efficiency, was constructed by
Charles Frittsin 1883 using a metal plate coated with
selenium and a thin layer of gold; the device became
commercially useful in photographic light meters in the
1930s.
Point-contact microwave detector rectifiers made of lead
sulfide were used byJagadish Chandra Bosein 1904;
thecat's-whisker detector using natural galena or other
materials became a common device in thedevelopment of
radio. However, it was somewhat unpredictable in
Semiconductor History
Semiconductor History
Semiconductor History
Semiconductor History
Semiconductor Industry
Semiconductor Industry
Industry structure
PreAssembly
Layout
Front Line
Assembly
Mask
Generatio
n
Backend
Assembly
Fabrication
Final Test
Electrical
Test
Packaging
Fabs
Assembly
Wafer
Wafer Fabrication
Front-end-of-line (FEOL)
processing
Back-end-of-line (BEOL)
processing
Metal layers
Once the various semiconductor devices have been created,
they must be interconnected to form the desired electrical
circuits. This occurs in a series of wafer processing steps
collectively referred to as BEOL
BEOL processing involves creating metal interconnecting
wires that are isolated by dielectric layers.
The insulating material has traditionally been a form of
SiO2or asilicate glass, but recently newlow dielectric
constant materials are being used (such assilicon
oxycarbide), typically providing dielectric constants around
2.7 (compared to 3.9 for SiO2), although materials with
constants as low as 2.2 are being offered to chipmakers.
Back-end-of-line (BEOL)
processing
Interconnect
Synthetic detail of a standard cell through four layers of planarized copper
interconnect, down to the polysilicon (pink), wells (greyish) and substrate
(green).
Historically, the metal wires have been composed ofaluminium. In this
approach to wiring (often calledsubtractive aluminium), blanket films of
aluminium are deposited first, patterned, and then etched, leaving isolated
wires. Dielectric material is then deposited over the exposed wires. The
various metal layers are interconnected by etching holes (called "vias")in
the insulating material and then depositingtungsten in them with aCVD
technique; this approach is still used in the fabrication of many memory
chips such asdynamic random access memory(DRAM), because the
number of interconnect levels is small (currently no more than four).
More recently, as the number of interconnect levels for logic has
substantially increased due to the large number of transistors that are now
interconnected in a modernmicroprocessor, the timing delay in the wiring
has become so significant as to prompt a change in wiring material (from
aluminium tocopper layer) and a change in dialectric material (from silicon
dioxides to newerlow-K insulators).
IC Assembly
Assembly Line
IC Assembly
PreAssembly
Front Line
Assembly
Backend
Assembly
Final Test
Packaging
IC Assembly
PreAssembly
Front Line
Assembly
Grinding/Saw
/Die cut
Incoming
Inspection
End Line
Assembly
Final Test
Packaging
Assembly
Die Attach
Wire Bond
IC Assembly
PreAssembly
Front Line
Assembly
Molding
Laser
Marking
End Line
Assembly
Final Test
Packaging
Assembly
Visual
Inspection