Revised January 18, 2008

PHGN/CHEN435 and CHEN/PHGN/MLGN535 Interdisciplinary Silicon Processing Laboratory

Catalog Data: PHGN/CHEN435: Interdisciplinary Silicon Processing Laboratory (II). Application of science and engineering principles to the design, fabrication, and testing of microelectronic devices. Emphasis on specific unit operations and the interrelation among processing steps. Prerequisites: Senior standing in PHGN, ChEN, MTGN, or EGGN. Consent of Instructor. Due to lab space the enrollment is limited to 20 students. 1 hour lecture, 3 hours lab; 3 semester hours.

CHEN/PHGN/MLGN535: Interdisciplinary Silicon Processing Laboratory (II). Explore the application of science and engineering principles to the fabrication and testing of microelectronic devices. The emphasis will be on specific unit operations and the interrelation among processing steps. Teams will work together over the semester to fabricate, test, and optimize simple devices. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor. Due to lab space the enrollment is limited to 20 students. 1 hour lecture, 3 hours lab; 3 semester hours.

Textbook: Stephen A. Campbell, "Fabrication Engineering at the Micro- and Nanoscale," Third edition, Oxford University Press, 2007.

Other useful texts:   

• Richard F. Yanda, Michael Heynes, and Anne K. Miller, "Demystifying Chipmaking," Newnes, 2005.

• Donald A. Neamen, "Semiconductor Devices and Physics: Basic Principles," Third edition, McGraw Hill, 2003.

• S.M. Sze, "Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology," Second edition, Wiley, 2001.

Instructor: Sumit Agarwal, Chemical Engineering, Office AH 443, Lab AH 390, phone (303) 273-3508

Teaching Assistant: Vikrant Rai, email @ vrai@mines.edu,  phone (303) 887-2409

Learning Objectives: The goals of this course are to: (i) provide hands-on experience with the processing steps which go into silicon microelectronic fabrication (ii) develop an understanding of how to integrate a series of processing steps to produce a desired device or integrated circuit (iii) become familiar with techniques for characterizing and optimizing processing steps, devices, and circuits (iv) fabricate simple silicon devices (v) provide an overview of state-of-the-art processes which are not included in the laboratory, and (vi) improve written and oral communication skills.