PPT Slide
CHEN435/PHGN435: Interdisciplinary Silicon Processing Laboratory
Silicon - The Starting Point
THE Semiconductor
- Not the first - Germanium (1947)
- Not the best - GaAs, GaN, Diamond
- The only one that matters
- Cheap, pure, forms a stable oxide, easily doped
Raw Material - SiO2: Quartz, sand
- Lots of it - 28% of the earth’s crust
- Extensive Purification: from sand to 99.999999%
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Defining the Age
- Past: Bronze, Iron, Steel
- Today: Silicon, Oil
- Tomorrow: Genetically engineered materials?