ECE444TheoryandFabricationofIntegratedCircuits.ppt

ECE444:Theory and Fabrication of Integrated Circuits Electrical and Computer Engineering Department University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Where students create integrated circuits from scratch… The ECE444 laboratory teaches core concepts for the production of integrated circuits: Thermal Oxidation Photolithography Etching Dopant Diffusion Metal Evaporation Electrical Testing Thermal Oxidation Silicon is the dominant semiconductor used in integrated circuit processing, in large part due to its ability to form a robust (tough) native oxide. This oxide is used for multiple purposes in the fabrication of ICs: Diffusion barrier for selectively doping (adding impurities to) silicon Dielectric (insulator) for MOS devices Passivation and protection of the silicon surface Of particular importance in semiconductor processing is cleanliness. For oxidation, cleanliness must be targeted to the molecular level. A specialized process called the RCA Clean is implemented before oxidation to remove organic contaminants (oils) trace metals alkali ions (sodium). Thermal Oxidation After cleaning with the RCA clean, silicon wafers are placed into a high temperature furnace (900oC T 1200oC) in the presence of oxygen or water where the following reaction occurs: Si + O2 → SiO2 or Si + 2H2O → SiO2 +H2 By controlling temperature and oxidation time precisely, oxide thickness can be predicted and controlled accurately. ECE444 students performing an oxidation process in a high temperature furnace. Photolithography and Etching After oxidation, the silicon wafer is completely covered with silicon dioxide. This oxide will prevent dopants from reaching the underlying silicon wafer. In order to create integrated circuits, the silicon wafer must be doped with impurities (boron and phosphorus are the most common) selectively – this is accomplished by removing the oxide in specific areas so the dopants are allowed to diffuse (movement due to high temperature) into the exposed silic