International Centre for Graduate Education in Micro & Nano Engineering

Semiconductor Processing 1

This module introduces students to the fundamentals of semiconductor process technology focusing on silicon technology and integrated circuit processes. 

General information:

1. Semiconductor Processing 1 module is available in first semester 2011/2012 academic year, starting from September 2011.
   
2. Host Institution: University of Limerick
3. Delivery mode:

• for Limerick located students: on-site in UL, 2 hours lectures per week, 2 hours of laboratory per week and 1 hour of tutorial per week.
• for students from other locations: Intensive block delivery mode, 1 week on-site in UL from 28^th November 2011 to 1^st December 2011 plus course materials available online via ICGEE VLE.

Course content:

• Semiconductor technology: overview of advances in integrated circuits, the road map, Moore’s law.
• General nature of semiconductor materials: elemental materials and their uses in research and industry, compound materials and alloys and their applications, influence of purity on electrical properties of semiconductors. Structure of semiconductors: amorphous, crystalline and polycrystalline solids, unit cells, lattice types, body centered cubic, face centered cubic, the diamond lattice, Si and Ge, Miller indices.
• Electrical properties: contribution of mobility and free carrier density to resistivity, electrical properties of conductors, semiconductors and insulators.
• Semiconductors: pure semiconductors, important elements from group 3, group 4 and group 5 of the periodic table, valence electrons, covalent bonding, p-type semiconductors and n-type semiconductors, energy levels for p-type and n-type semiconductors, intrinsic energy level, intrinsic carrier density, thermal equilibrium, carrier lifetime.
• Doping of silicon: donors and acceptors, majority carriers and minority carriers, hot point probe, 4-point probe sheet resistance, carrier transport. Lithography: lithography processes (light sources, exposure systems, photo resist), aerial image, latent image, relief image, pattern definition, pattern transfer (etching, deposition, implantation etc.).
• Optical lithography techniques: optical resists, key resist parameters, positive and negative resist, DNQ system and deep UV system. Resist processing: priming, spinning, baking, exposing, developing, hard baking, stripping. Exposure: types of exposure (UV light to deep UV, X-rays, electrons, ions), method of exposure, development (positive, negative).
• Printing: Fresnel system, contact and proximity printing, Fraunhofer system, projection printing, advantages and disadvantages.
• Advanced lithography: focused ion beam, electron beam, etc. Thermal oxidation of silicon: the oxidation process, type of furnaces, wet oxidation, dry oxidation, factors influencing oxidation rates, silica film thickness measurements. Thin film deposition: evaporation, sputtering, chemical vapour deposition. Diffusion: diffusion processes, constant source diffusion, limited source diffusion, solid solubility limits.
• Epitaxial silicon deposition: LPCVD amorphous silicon, importance of epitaxy.
• Ion implantation: implantation technology, channelling, lattice damage and annealing

 Semiconductor Processing 1 - Module Descriptor

Semiconductor Processing 1 - Lecturers:

Dr. Arousian Arshak

Lecturer,
Department of Physics & Energy
University of Limerick

Research Interests:

• Ion Bombardment in Solid-State Materials; Dry etching of Semiconductors, (Si, Ge, Ga As) and Photoresists (Oxygen Plasma Etching);
• Oxidation and Diffusions for VLSI Processing;
• Optical lithography using I-line exposure tools;
• Design of experiments for process optimisation in VLSI;
• Development of Phase-Shift Masks for sub-micron lithography;
• Modelling and Simulation of Optical Lithography Processes and Wet / Dry Etching of Photoresists;
• Development of Top Surface Imaging Processes (DESIRE, PROMOTE, PRIME) using both gas- and liquid-phase silylation;
• Development of Advanced Silylation Model for DESIRE (Diffusion Enhanced Silylated Resist) Process using Plasmask-150, Plasmask-200g and Plasmask 302U Resists;
• Development of Sensor Technology for Radiation Dosimetry Application;
• Using analytical techniques (FT-IR, UV/Visible, X-ray, SEM, TEM, FIB-SIM, ATM) for Thin-Films / Thick Films and Photoresists Materials Characterisation

 Bio & List of Journal & Conference Publications

Professor Khalil Arshak

Professor of Electronic Engineering
University of Limerick

Research Interests:

• Design of 40nm lines/spaces in SPR510 resist using statistical process control and simulation techniques with Intel Ireland. The process design involves exposure using electron-beam lithography, the silylation process and dry development in a magnetically enhanced reactive ion etcher.
• Development of phase shift mask technology for subhalf-micron lithography application with Intel Ireland.
• Development of two and three terminal thick film devices for telecommunication and power electronic applications. Development of a thick film planar transformer for DC-DC converters in conjunction with C & D Technologies / Power Convertibles Ltd., Shannon Ind. Est, Co. Clare, Ireland.
• Development of a multipurpose ASIC sensor with BMS Ireland, Limerick and an integrated gas flow sensor.
• Properties of thin (10-20nm) SiO2 and Ta2O5 films after treatment in MERIE for submicron applications with Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, University of Ulster and Institute of Electron Technology, Warsaw, Poland.
• Development of integrated microelectronic gas sensing subsystems with Sheffield Hallam University, UK and Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia.

Bio