MP507 Introduction to Microelectronics and Photonics
(Also listed as EE/MT/PEP 507)
Instructor: Dr. Robert Pastore
Textbook: S. Sze, “Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology”, 2nd Edition, Wiley, 2001.
Grades/Homework’s/Exams: There will be weekly homework assignments. Homework will be collected and graded, and it will constitute 20% of the final grade. A take-home midterm exam (40%) and a take-home final exam (40%) will also be given.
Description: This course provides an overview of microelectronics and photonics science and technology, including introductions of application, physics, and fabrication of microelectronic and photonic devices, along with the necessary knowledge of how the different aspects are interrelated. The course will be taught in three modules: design and applications, device basics and operations, and fabrication, materials and reliability issues.
Course Outline:
Lecture 1 Introduction and Overview
This lecture will present a broad overview of the topics of
the course, seeking to provide an initial heuristic understanding of the major
principles that will be developed in the course. The discussion will start with
basic principles of semiconductor crystal material, charge carriers, drift and
diffusion of carriers, recombination of electrons and holes, the principles of
diode operation (and distinctive mechanisms for recombination in silicon and
GaAs), and general steps involved in the microfabrication of basic silicon
MOSFETS (polysilicon gate self-aligned process).
Lectures 2 and 3 Semiconductor Device Basics: Brief overview of semiconductor physics, especially aspects of carrier transport; p-n junctions, Schottky contacts, ohmic contacts.
Lecture 4 Bipolar Devices: Operation principle of pnp/npn bipolar transistors; device models and equivalent circuits.
Lecture 5 Unipolar Devices: Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect (MOSFET) transistors, Metal-Semiconductor Field Effect (MESFET) transistors. Heterostructure-based devices (HEMT and HBT).
Lecture 6 Microwave and Photonic Devices: Negative-Differential-Resistance (NDR) devices. Light Emitting Diode (LED) and semiconductor lasers, photodetectors (PIN and APD). Introduction to optoelectronic devices used in modern optical communications.
Lecture 7 Overview
of the fabrication of integrated circuits and MEMS.
Fabrication of the wafer, Photolithography, Doping, Coatings, Etching, Metallization, Integrated Devices
The starting material (pure Si, GaAs), Making Single Crystals, Czochralski Technique, Segregation of Dopants, Bridgman technique, Float Zone Process, Depositing Single Crystal Layers by Epitaxy, Vapor Phase Epitaxy, Liquid Phase Epitaxy, Molecular Beam Epitaxy
Thermal Oxidation, Chemical Vapor Deposition, principles (CVD, LPCVD, Plasma CVD), Dielectric Film Deposition, SiO2,Si3N4,, Polysilicon, Metallization, Physical Vapor Deposition and Sputtering, Al, W, Silicides
Basic Diffusion Theory and Practice, Constant Surface Concentration, Constant Total Doping, Extrinsic Diffusion (concentration dependent), Lateral Diffusion, Ion Implantation, Range of Implantation, Disorder and Annealing
Optical Lithography, The clean room, Exposure methods, Masks, Photoresists, Pattern transfer, Electron Beam, Xray and Ion Beam Lithographies, Etching, Wet Chemical Etching, Orientation-dependent Etching, Dry Etching
Lecture 12 Microelectronic Systems
The basic principles of silicon CMOS (Complementary MOS) digital integrated circuits will be reviewed. Selected contemporary issues and challenges related to integrated circuits fabricated at the limits of small size and at high levels of complexity (10's of millions of gates per IC) will be presented. Lectures will highlight (i) overall design constraints imposed by power and clock distribution, (ii) constraints imposed by use of PMOS and NMOS elements, (iii) design of basic logic circuits in CMOS, including layout approaches, (iv) practical issues such as yield of functional ICs from processed wafers and reliability in service, and (v) fundamental issues appearing on the horizon for future generation technologies.
Lecture 13 Optical Communication Systems
Lectures will cover the traditional components used to deploy a high-speed optical network, emphasizing the physical layer but including the high-level network control. Representative functions in the physical layer include modulated optical sources, multiplexing optical channels onto a single fiber, switching systems to route a channel to a desired destination, and receivers extracting optical channels and providing electronic signals. Examples of recent technologies supporting WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing of several independent optical beans through a single optical fiber) and "all-optical" networks will be presented. In addition, time permitting, the lectures will move beyond long distance telecommunications networks to consider applications of optical communications over shorter distances (e.g., optical interconnections).
Lecture 14 Wireless Communications Systems
Wireless communication systems (both for the user's transceiver and for the system's base station) require sophisticated electronics. Analog circuits with high bandwidth, specialized RF/microwave circuits to handle the high frequency signals, techniques to handle low power objectives, and contemporary directions to mix analog and digital technologies to provide "programmable" wireless transceivers will be reviewed. The focus here is on high performance analog components operating in an environment of large variations in signals received. Non-silicon technologies including silicon-germanium and III-V analog circuitry as well as MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) technologies will be reviewed.