Lecture 1

Introduction to Microelectronic Technologies:

The importance of multidisciplinary understanding.

Reading:
Chapters 1 and parts of 2

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Goal of this Course

The goal of this course is to teach
the fundamentals of
Microelectronic Technology
Emphasis will be placed on
multidisciplinary
understanding using concepts
from Electrical Engineering,
materials science/engineering,
chemistry, physics, and
mechanical engineering.
Desired Outcome:
Provide the student with
enough basic information so
he/she can understand
literature related to his/her
desired topic and allow
him/her to begin developing
new technologies.
Georgia Tech

Image after Plummer,

Deal, and Griffin
(2000)

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Disciplines
ECE
Electrical Design
Electrostatic Field
Control
Electrical behavior and
limits of materials and
material systems
Using defects for our
electrical advantage
Effects of strain and
stress on device
reliability
Designing a better
device, circuit, system

Georgia Tech

Material
Science
Structural
Classification of
Materials: Crystal
Structure
Formation and
control of defects,
impurity diffusion
Strain and Stresses
materials
Materials
interactions (alloys,
annealing)
Phase
transformations

Chemistry
Bonding
Classification of
Materials
Etching and
deposition chemistry

Physics
Quantum transport
Solid state
descriptions of
carrier motion

Chemical cleaning

Mechanical Engineering
Heat transfer
Micro-machines-Micro ElectroMechanical Machines (MEMS)
Fatigue/fracture, (especially for
packaging) etc...
Mechanical stresses during processing
(polishing, thermal cycles, etc)

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Disciplines
ECE
Electrical Design
Electrostatic Field
Control
Electrical behavior and
Interested
limits
of materials and
material
systems
in the
uses
Using
defects for our
of these
electrical advantage

processes

Effects of strain and

stress on device
reliability
Designing a better
device, circuit, system

Georgia Tech

Material
Science
Structural
Classification
of
Interested
Materials: Crystal
Structure
Formation and
control of defects,
impurity diffusion
Strain and Stresses
materials
Materials
interactions (alloys,
annealing)
Phase
transformations

Chemistry
Bonding
Classification of
Materials

Physics
Quantum transport

Solid state
in the fundamentaldescriptions
processof
Etching and
carrier motion
deposition chemistry
Chemical cleaning

Mechanical Engineering
Heat transfer

Interested ElectroMicro-machines-Micro
Mechanical
Machines
(MEMS)
in the
uses
Fatigue/fracture,
(especially for
of these
packaging) etc...

processes

Mechanical stresses during processing

(polishing, thermal cycles, etc)

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

It is instructive to compare a EEs outlook to Microelectronic Fabrication to that of

materials scientist.

Process

Electrical Engineer/Scientist

Materials
Scientist/Engineer

Epitaxial
Growth

forming the basic building blocks of a device

Phase equilibria and

crystallography

Diffusion

forming a E-Field gradient

Solid solutions (just like sugar

in water)

Contact anneals

may be looking to lower rectifying barrier,

improve adhesion or lower contact resistance

Alloying Process dictated by

materials phase diagram

Si/SiO2 interface

ability to form an insulator, maximizing

transistor/capacitor speed, controlling
threshold voltages or reduce recombination
of electron-hole pairs at the semiconductor
surface

Minimize interface defects

between two dissimilar crystal
structures

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Modern electronics consist of extremely small devices

Transistors in the above image are only a few microns (m or 1e-6 meters) on a side.
Modern devices have lateral dimensions that are only fractions of a micron (~0.1 m)
and vertical dimensions that may be only a few atoms tall.
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Famous Last Words: I only want to design computers. I do not need to

know about atoms and electrons . --- A Doomed Computer Engineer
Intel Develops World's Smallest, Fastest CMOS Transistor
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Dec. 11, 2000 - Intel Corporation researchers have achieved a significant breakthrough by building the
world's smallest and fastest CMOS transistor. This breakthrough will allow Intel within the next five to 10 years to build microprocessors
containing more than 400 million transistors, running at 10 gigahertz (10 billion cycles per second) and operating at less than one volt.
The transistors feature structures just 30 nanometers in size and three atomic layers thick. (Note: A nanometer is onebillionth of a meter). Smaller transistors are faster, and fast transistors are the key building block for fast microprocessors, the brains of
computers and countless other smart devices.
These new transistors, which act like switches controlling the flow of electrons inside a microchip, could complete 400 million
calculations in the blink an eye or finish two million calculations in the time it takes a speeding bullet to travel one inch.
Scientists expect such powerful microprocessors to allow applications popular in science-fiction stories -- such as instantaneous,
real-time voice translation -- to become an everyday reality.
Researchers from Intel Labs are disclosing the details of this advance today in San Francisco at the International Electron Devices
Meeting, the premier technical conference for semiconductor engineers and scientists.
"This breakthrough will allow Intel to continue increasing the performance and reducing the cost of microprocessors well into the
future," said Dr. Sunlin Chou, vice president and general manager of Intel's Technology and Manufacturing Group. "As our researchers venture
into uncharted areas beyond the previously expected limits of silicon scaling, they find Moore's Law still intact."
Intel researchers were able to build these ultra-small transistors by aggressively reducing all of their dimensions. The gate oxides
used to build these transistors are just three atomic layers thick. More than 100,000 of these gates would need to be stacked to achieve the
thickness of a sheet of paper. Also significant is that these experimental transistors, while featuring capabilities that are generations beyond the
most advanced technologies used in manufacturing today, were built using the same physical structure as in today's computer chips.
"Many experts thought it would be impossible to build CMOS transistors this small because of electrical leakage problems," noted
Dr. Gerald Marcyk, director of Intel's Components Research Lab, Technology and Manufacturing Group. "Our research proves that these smaller
transistors behave in the same way as today's devices and shows there are no fundamental barriers to producing these devices in high volume in
the future. The most important thing about these 30 nanometer transistors is that they are simultaneously small and fast, and work at low voltage.
Typically you can achieve two of the three, but delivering on all facets is a significant accomplishment."
It's discoveries like these that make me excited about the future," added Chou. "It's one thing to achieve a great technological
breakthrough. It's another to have one that is practical and will change everyone's lives. With Intel's 30 nanometer transistor, we have both."
For more information on Intel Silicon Technology Research, please reference Intel's new Silicon Showcase at
www.intel.com/research/silicon. Intel, the world's largest chip maker, is also a leading manufacturer of computer, networking and
communications products. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom. Source: Intel Web Page.
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Control of Conductivity is the Key to Modern Electronic Devices

Conductivity, , is the ease with which a given material
conducts electricity.
Ohms Law: V=IR or J=E where J is current density
and E is electric field.
Metals: High conductivity
Insulators: Low Conductivity
Semiconductors: Conductivity can be varied by
several orders of magnitude.
It is the ability to control conductivity that make
semiconductors useful as current/voltage control
elements. Current/Voltage control is the key to
switches (digital logic including microprocessors etc),
amplifiers, LEDs, LASERs, photodetectors, etc...
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

Electrical/Computer engineers like to classify materials based on

electrical behavior (insulating, semi-insulating, and metals).

Chemists or Materials Engineers/Scientists classify materials

based on bond type (covalent, ionic, metallic, or van der Waals), or
structure (crystalline, polycrystalline, amorphous, etc...).

In 20-50 years, EEs may not be using semiconductors at all!!

Polymers or bio-electronics may replace them! However the
materials science will be the same!

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

Materials Classified based on bond strength

For metals, the electrons can jump from the valence orbits (outermost core energy levels of the atom) to any
position within the crystal (free to move throughout the crystal) with no extra energy needed to be supplied
For insulators, it is VERY DIFFICULT for the electrons to jump from the valence orbits and requires a huge
amount of energy to free the electron from the atomic core.
For semiconductors, the electrons can jump from the valence orbits but does require a small amount of energy to
free the electron from the atomic core.
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

Materials Classified based on bond strength

Semiconductor materials are a sub-class of materials distinguished by the existence of a range of disallowed
energies between the energies of the valence electrons (outermost core electrons) and the energies of electrons
free to move throughout the material.
The energy difference (energy gap or bandgap) between the states in which the electron is bound to the atom
and when it is free to conduct throughout the crystal is related to the bonding strength of the material, its density,
the degree of ionicity of the bond, and the chemistry related to the valence of bonding.
High bond strength materials (diamond, SiC, AlN, GaN etc...) tend to have large energy bandgaps.
Lower bond strength materials (Si, Ge, etc...) tend to have smaller energy bandgaps.
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

More formally, the energy gap is
derived from the Pauli exclusion
principle (Physics), where no two
electrons occupying the same
space, can have the same energy.
Thus, as atoms are brought closer
towards one another and begin to
bond together, their energy levels
must split into bands of discrete
levels so closely spaced in energy,
they can be considered a
continuum of allowed energy.
Strongly bonded materials tend to
have small interatomic distances
between atoms (I.e very dense
materials). Thus, the strongly
bonded materials can have larger
energy bandgaps than do weakly
bonded materials.
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Consider the case of the group 4 elements, all** covalently bonded

Element

Atomic Radius/Lattice Constant Bandgap

(How closely spaced are the atoms?)

0.91/3.56 Angstroms

5.47 eV

Si

1.46/5.43 Angstroms

1.12 eV

Ge

1.52/5.65 Angstroms

0.66 eV

-Sn

1.72/6.49 Angstroms

~0.08 eV*

Pb

1.81/** Angstroms

Metal

*Only has a measurable

bandgap near 0K
**Different bonding/Crystal
Structure due to unfilled
higher orbital states

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Material Classifications based on Bonding Method

Bonds can be classified as metallic, Ionic, Covalent, and van der Waals.

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Material Classifications based on Bonding Method

ic
s
or
ct
du
on

ic
m

Se

So

eP

ol

ym

er

Se

Se

M
et
al
s

or
ct

on

on
ic

on
ic
m
Se

du

du

ct
du

rs
to
la
su
In

ct

or

or

Bonds can be classified as metallic, Ionic, Covalent, and van der Waals.

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

Types of Semiconductors:
Elemental: Silicon or Germanium (Si or Ge)
Compound: Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), Indium Phosphide (InP), Silicon Carbide
(SiC), CdS and many others
Note that the sum of the valence adds to 8, a complete outer shell. I.E. 4+4,
3+5, 2+6, etc...

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

Compound Semiconductors: Offer high performance (optical characteristics,
higher frequency, higher power) than elemental semiconductors and greater
device design flexibility due to mixing of materials.
Binary: GaAs, SiC, etc...
Ternary: AlxGa1-xAs, InxGa1-xN where 0<=x<=1
Quaternary: InxGa1-xAsyP1-y where 0<=x<=1 and 0<=y<=1
Half the total number of atoms must come from group III (Column III) and the
other half the atoms must come from group V (Column V) (or more precisely,
IV/IV , III/V, or II/VI combinations) leading to the above reduced
semiconductor notation.
Example: Assume a compound semiconductor has 25% atomic
concentrations of Ga, 25% atomic In and 50% atomic of N. The chemical
formula would be:
Ga0.25In0.25N0.5
But the correct reduced semiconductor formula would be:
Ga0.5In0.5N
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Electronic Materials

Material Classifications based on Crystal Structure

Amorphous Materials
No discernible long range atomic order (no detectable crystal structure). Examples are silicon
dioxide (SiO2), amorphous-Si, silicon nitride (Si3N4), and others. Though usually thought of as less perfect than
crystalline materials, this class of materials is extremely useful.
Polycrystalline Materials
Material consisting of several domains of crystalline material. Each domain can be oriented
differently than other domains. However, within a single domain, the material is crystalline. The size of the
domains may range from cubic nanometers to several cubic centimeters. Many semiconductors are
polycrystalline as are most metals.
Crystalline Materials
Crystalline materials are characterized by an atomic symmetry that repeats spatially. The shape of
the unit cell depends on the bonding of the material. The most common unit cell structures are diamond,
zincblende (a derivative of the diamond structure), hexagonal, and rock salt (simple cubic).
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of Crystalline Electronic Materials

Hexagonal ( example: Wurzite)

Georgia Tech

Refer to my web page for 3D animations of crystal structures

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Crystal Growth: How do we get Single Crystalline Material?

The vast majority of crystalline silicon produced is grown by the Czochralski growth method. In this method, a
single crystal seed wafer is brought into contact with a liquid Silicon charge held in a crucible (typically SiO2 but
may have a lining of silicon-nitride or other material). The seed is pulled out of the melt, allowing Si to solidify.
The solidified material bonds to the seed crystal in the same atomic pattern as the seed crystal.

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Crystal Growth: Adding Impurities

Impurities can be added to the melt to dope the semiconductor as p-type or n-type. Generally, impurities prefer
to stay in the liquid as opposed to being incorporated into the solid. This process is known as segregation. The
degree of segregation is characterized by the segregation coefficient, k, for the impurity,

k=

[Impurity in the Solid]

[Impurity in the Liquid]

Impurities like Al, kAl=0.002 prefers the liquid whereas B, kB=0.8 have very little preference.
Refer to Table 2.1 in your book for more ks

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Crystal Growth: Float Zone Refining

Since impurities can be introduced from the melt contacting the crucible, a method of purification without
contacting a crucible has been developed based on liquid-solid segregation of impurities. These crystals are
more expensive and have very low oxygen and carbon and thus, are not suitable for the majority of silicon IC
technology. However, for devices where a denuded zone can not be used these wafers are preferred.
Impurities are kept out of the single crystal by the liquid-solid segregation process.

Good for Solar

cells, power
electronic
devices that
use the entire
volume of the
wafer not just
a thin surface
layer, etc

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Crystal Growth: GaAs

GaAs Liquid Encapsulated CZ (LEC)
GaAs is more difficult. At 1238 C, the vapor pressure of As is ~10 atmospheres while Ga is only
~0.001 atmospheres. Thus, at these temperatures, As is rapidly lost to evaporation resulting in a
non-stoichiometric melt. (Recall from the phase diagram that 50% Ga and 50% As is required to
get pure GaAs). Thus, a cap is used to encapsulate the melt. This cap is typically Boric oxide
(B2O3) and melts at ~400 C, allowing the seed crystal to be lowered through the cap and pulled
out of the cap.

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Crystal Growth: GaAs

Horizontal Bridgman GaAs Growth
Historically, limitations on defect densities possible with LEC limit the use of LEC wafers to electronic
applications. Most GaAs for optoelectronics (requiring low defect densities) is produced by the bridgman
method. In this method and its many variants, the GaAs charge is held in a sealed ampoule with excess
arsenic. Thus, higher pressures can be reached that limit As evaporation. The charge is heated, partially
melted with the melt then brought into contact with a seed crystal. The molten region is then moved through
the charge allowing the trailing edge of the molten region to solidify into a low defect single crystal while the
leading edge of the molten region melts more of the charge.

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

The Need for Multidisciplinary Understanding:

Consider the simple inverter in NMOS technology using Depletion Load Transistors

Gate

Gate

N+

N+

N+

N+
P

P
Enhancement Transistor

Source

Depletion Transistor

Source
Drain

Drain

Enhancement Mode: Normally Off (have to do something to get it to conduct electricity)

Depletion Mode: Normally On (have to do something to get it to stop conducting electricity)
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Photoresist
Si3N4
SiO2

Following initial cleaning, a thin epitaxial region is grown via chemical vapor deposition
followed by a SiO2 layer thermally grown on the silicon substrate. A Si3N4 layer is then
deposited by LPCVD. Photoresist is spun on the wafer to prepare for the first masking
operation.
P-

P+

Disciplines Used: ECE (choice of p-type layers and doping concentrations),

Chemistry (CVD), MSE (solid solutions of dopants), Physics (small devices)
Materials
polymers
Georgia Tech

Used:

Crystalline

Semiconductors,

amorphous

dielectrics,
ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Photoresist
Si3N4-x

SiO2

Mask #1 patterns the photoresist. The Si3N4 layer is removed where it is not protected by the
photoresist by dry etching.

Disciplines Used: Chemistry (etching), Physics (optics/diffraction, plasma

physics)
Materials Used: Acids, bases, dry plasmas, Crystalline Semiconductors,
amorphous dielectrics, polymers
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Boron

Boron

Photoresist
Si3N4-x

SiO2

P Implant

A boron implant prior to LOCOS oxidation increases the substrate doping locally under
the field oxide to minimize field inversion problems.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of edge termination layers),

Chemistry (choice of dopants), MSE (solid solutions of dopants), Physics (Ion
bombardment)
Materials
polymers
Georgia Tech

Used:

Crystalline

Semiconductors,

amorphous

dielectrics,
ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Si3N4-x

SiO2
P

P
During the LOCOS oxidation, the boron implanted regions diffuse ahead of the growing
oxide producing the P doped regions under the field oxide. The Si3N4 is stripped after the
LOCOS process.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of isolation), Chemistry (oxidation

reactions and barriers), MSE (solid solutions of dopants)
Materials Used: Amorphous dielectrics, toxic/corrosive gases

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

As or Phos
Photoresist

SiO2

Mask #2 is used for the the threshold shifting implant for the depletion transistors. An N type
dopant is implanted.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of channel), Chemistry (choice of

dopants), MSE (solid solutions of dopants), Physics (Ion bombardment)
Materials Used: Crystalline
polymers, and ions
Georgia Tech

Semiconductors,

amorphous

dielectrics,

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

B
Photoresist

SiO2

Mask #3 is used to mask the threshold shifting implant for the enhancement transistors. A P
type dopant is implanted.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of channel), Chemistry (choice of

dopants), MSE (solid solutions of dopants), Physics (Ion bombardment)
Materials Used: Crystalline
polymers, and ions
Georgia Tech

Semiconductors,

amorphous

dielectrics,

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

SiO2

P
After etching back the thin oxide to bare silicon, the gate oxide is grown for the MOS
transistors.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of isolation, electrical reliability),

Chemistry (oxidation reactions), MSE (solid solutions of dopants)
Materials Used: Amorphous dielectrics, gases

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Photoresist

SiO2

P
Mask #4 is used to provide the buried contact. The gate oxide is etched where the poly
needs to contact the silicon.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of source), Chemistry (choice of

dopants), MSE (solid solutions of dopants), Physics (optics/diffraction)
Materials Used: Crystalline
polymers, and ions
Georgia Tech

Semiconductors,

amorphous

dielectrics,

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Poly-X
N

SiO2

P
A layer of polysilicon is deposited. Ion implantation of an N type dopant follows the
deposition to heavily dope the poly.

Disciplines Used: ECE (electrical design of source, reliability), Chemistry

(CVD & choice of dopant for poly), MSE (alloy reactions)
Materials Used: Crystalline
amorphous dielectrics, gases
Georgia Tech

and

poly-crystalline

Semiconductors,

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Photoresist
Poly-X
N

SiO2

P
Photoresist is applied and mask #5 is used to define the regions where MOS gates are
located. The polysilicon layer is then etched using plasma etching.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Arsenic
Poly-X

N
N+ Implant

SiO2

Arsenic is implanted to form the source and drain regions. Note that this can be unmasked
because there are only NMOS transistors on the chip.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

N+

N+

N+

Poly-X
N

N+

SiO2

A final high temperature drive-in activates all the implanted dopants and diffuses junctions
to their final depth. The N doping in the poly outdiffuses to provide the buried contact.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

SiO2

N+

N+

N+

Poly-X
N

N+

SiO2

A conformal SiO2 layer is deposited by LPCVD.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Photoresist

N+

N+

N+

Poly-X
N

SiO2

N+
P

Mask #6 is used to define the contact holes.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Al, Cu/Al

N+

N+

N+

Poly-X
N

SiO2

N+
P

Aluminum is deposited on the wafer.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Photoresist
Al, Cu/Al

N+

N+

N+

Poly-X
N

SiO2

N+
P

Mask #7 is used to pattern the aluminum. After stripping the resist, the structure is finished to
the point shown in the cross-section we started with. In actual practice an additional
deposition of a final passivation layer and an additional mask (#8) would be needed to open
up the regions over the bonding pads.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Polymer or SiNx
Encapsulation
Al, Cu/Al

N+

N+

N+

Poly-X
N

SiO2

N+
P

P
Enhancement Transistor

Depletion Transistor

Final environmental barrier deposited for encapsulating the device. Openings would be
provided only at bond pads.

Disciplines Used: similar to previous

Materials Used: similar to previous

Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle

Classifications of the many processes used in

Microelectronics Technology
Unit I: Hot (or energetic) Processes
Diffusion (chapter 3)
Thermal Oxidation (chapter 4)
Ion Implantation (chapter 5)
Rapid Thermal Processing (chapter 6)
Unit II: Pattern Transfer
Optical Lithography (chapter 7)
Photoresists (chapter 8)
Non-Optical Lithographic Techniques (chapter 9)
Vacuum Science and Plasmas (chapter 10)
Etching (chapter 11)
Unit III: Thin Films
Physical Deposition: Evaporation and Sputtering (chapter 12)
Chemical Vapor Deposition (chapter 13)
Epitaxial Growth (chapter 14)
Unit IV: Process Integration
Selected topics from Silicon (chapters 16 & 18), GaAs (chapter 17)
and yield Analysis (chapter 19)
Georgia Tech

ECE 6450 - Dr. Alan Doolittle