This course will give students a comprehensive understanding of the fabrication processes that are used in research and industry to construct complex micro- and nanoelectronic structures on planar substrates. Students will be able to use this understanding of the chemistry, physics and engineering of planar processes to predict the performance of fabricated structures, with examples including the fabrication of foundational semiconductor devices.

Weekly

Monday 2-5pm

None.

None.

Degree Examination 70%

Assignments including : essay on the economic, social and environmental contexts of micro- and nanotechnology (10%); predictive calculations on silicon processing (10%); fabricated device measurement and analysis (10%).

■ To introduce students to the historical development and present importance of micro- and nano-fabrication technologies.

■ To give them a clear qualitative, quantitative and practical understanding of the key industrial processes used in micro- and nano-fabrication, and the physical principles underpinning these processes.

■ To develop student's ability to predict the outcomes of multiple fabrication processes in the creation of practical microelectronic devices, and then measure, analyse and optimise fabrication flows.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ recognise the historical significance of silicon integrated circuit manufacture;

■ explain the physical and chemical processes underpinning key fabrication techniques (including lithography, oxidation, epitaxy, chemical mechanical polishing, metallisation, diffusion, ion implantation, dry etching);

■ contrast optical and other lithographic systems, illustrating the use of positive and negative resists;

■ design masks for lithography, using standard CAD tools;

■ calculate processing parameters for oxidation, epitaxy, diffusion, implantation and etch, to predict the results of such processes analytically;

■ recall the use and methods of dry etching;

■ illustrate how processes are combined to create a device, and classify the fabrication processes for a two or three level structure;

■ design process simple flows for a range of structures and devices (not limited to MOSFETs);

■ summarise aspects of health and safety associated with cleanroom fabrication;

■ perform electrical measurements on micro-scale structures, and evaluate device quality from such measurements;

■ diagnose processing problems from micrographs and electrical measurements, and present their conclusions effectively to experienced practitioners;

■ explain the principles of Design of Experiments in optimising fabrication processes;

■ judge the economic, environmental and social impacts of micro- and nano-fabrication in the present and near future, based on sound understanding of technical practicalities.

Requirements for the award of credits

To ensure that a student will be awarded the credits for a course, he or she must complete the course and reach a minimum level of attainment. This requires that a student:

■ be present at lectures, laboratories and tutorials on at least 50% of occasions at which attendance is monitored,

■ satisfactorily complete the assignments in the laboratories,

■ attend the class test (if held) and gain a nonzero mark and

■ attend the degree examination and gain a nonzero mark

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher partici-pa-tion rates. Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a Websurf absence report.