Semitracks, Inc.

Instructor: Jim A. Fraser

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Refund Policy: If a course is canceled, refunds are limited to course registration fees. Registration within 21 days of the course is subject to $100 surcharge.

Course Overview

Semiconductor and integrated circuit developments continue to proceed at an incredible pace. The industry as a whole has gotten to this point of incredible complexity through the process of countless breakthroughs and developments in wafer fab processing. Today’s wafer fab contains some of the most complex and intricate procedures ever developed by mankind. Wafer Fab Processing is a 4-day course that offers an in-depth look into the semiconductor manufacturing process and individual processing technologies. We place special emphasis on the basics surrounding each technique and delve into current issues related to manufacturing next-generation devices. This course is a must for every manager, engineer, and technician working in the semiconductor industry, using semiconductor components, or supplying tools to the industry.

By focusing on the basics of each processing step and the issues surrounding them, participants will learn why certain techniques are preferred over others. Our instructors work hard to explain how semiconductor processing works without delving heavily into the complex physics and mathematical expressions that normally accompany this discipline.

Participants learn basic but powerful aspects about the semiconductor industry. This skill-building series is divided into three segments:

1. Basic Processing Steps: Each processing step addresses a specific need in IC creation. Participants learn the fundamentals of each processing step and why it is used in the industry today.
2. The Evolution of Each Processing Step: It is important to understand how wafer fab processing came to the point where it is today. Participants learn how each technique has evolved for use in previous and current generation ICs.
3. Current Issues in Wafer Fab Processing: Participants learn how many processing steps are increasingly constrained by physics and materials science. They also learn about the impact of using new materials in the fabrication process and how those materials may create problems for the manufacturers in the future.

Course Objectives

1. The seminar will provide participants with an in-depth understanding of the semiconductor industry and its technical issues.
2. Participants will understand the basic concepts behind the fundamental wafer fab processing steps.
3. The seminar will identify the key issues related to each of the processing techniques and their impact on the continued scaling of the semiconductor industry.
4. The seminar offers a wide variety of sample problems that participants work to help them gain knowledge of the fundamentals of wafer fab processing.
5. Participants will be able to identify the basic features and principles associated with each major processing step. These include processes like chemical vapor deposition, ion implantation, lithography, and etching.
6. Participants will understand how processing, reliability, power consumption, and device performance are interrelated.
7. Participants will be able to make decisions about how to construct and evaluate processing steps for CMOS, BiCMOS, and bipolar technologies.

Instructional Strategy

By using a combination of instruction by lecture, classroom exercises, and question/answer sessions, participants will learn practical information on semiconductor processing and the operation of this industry. From the very first moments of the seminar until the last sentence of the training, the driving instructional factor is application. Our instructors are internationally recognized experts in their fields ahd have years of both current and relevant experience. The accompanying textbook offers hundreds of pages of additional reference material participants can use during their daily activities.

Course Outline

1. Introduction
2. Silicon Basics
   1. Crystallinity
   2. Crystal Defects
   3. Crystal Growth
3. Basic CMOS Process Flow
4. Ion Implantation
5. Thermal Processing
   1. Diffusion
   2. Oxidation
   3. Rapid Thermal Processing
6. Cleanliness
   1. Contamination Monitoring
   2. Wafer Cleaning
7. Vacuum-Related Fundamentals
   1. Vacuum Basics
   2. Thin Film Basics
   3. Plasma Basics
8. Chemical Vapor Deposition
   1. CVD Basics
   2. Low Pressure CVD
   3. Epitaxy
   4. Plasma-Enhanced CVD
9. Physical Vapor Deposition
   1. Evaporation
   2. Sputtering
10. Lithography
    1. Photoresist
    2. Processing
    3. Image Formation
    4. Photomasks
11. Etch
    1. Etch Basics
    2. Wet Etch
    3. Dry Etch
    4. Dry Etch Applications and Equipment
12. Chemical Mechanical Planarization
13. Advanced Topics
    1. Multi-Level Interconnect Processing
    2. Atomic Layer Deposition
    3. Shallow Trench Isolation
    4. Silicon on Insulator

Educational Materials

Microchip Manufacturing

By Stanley Wolf

Text provides an introduction to microchip manufacturing for undergraduate students and those in technician-training programs. Includes index, glossary, chapter summary, and problems. Fully illustrated in color. DLC: Integrated circuits--Very large scale integration--Design and construction.

$149 value... free with the price of registration!

Instructor Profile

Jim Fraser

Jim Fraser received a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from McGill University in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He has 22 years experience in semiconductor manufacturing, at Nortel Networks and STMicroelectronics. As a Process Engineer, Process Engineering Section Manager, and then Process/Device Engineering Manager, he has worked directly and intimately with CMOS and BiCMOS wafer fab processes. He has taught semiconductor manufacturing technology at Algonquin College and most recently at the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario.

Course Locations

Enschede
Maser Engineering B.V.
Capitool 56
7521 PL Enschede, Netherlands
053 4802680

Venue Telephone: +31 53 480 26 80