Overview of Part 2

Properties of Silicon
Structure
Doping

Overview of the Fabrication of a Silicon

Based Device
Properties of Silicon Semiconductor
Silicon is a crystalline
material,with a tetra-
hedral unit cell.

Each silicon atom has

10 core electrons
(tightly bound), and 4
valence electrons
(loosely bound).

Silicon has two types of charge carriers - electrons and

holes. The carrier concentration can be controlled by
doping, or electrostatically.
Properties of Silicon Semiconductor
For simplicity we can consider a flattened model
structure
Due to thermal effects
some bonds are broken,
giving mobile holes and
electrons. + -

Holes and electrons can

move around the lattice,
or recombine to form a
complete bond.
At room temperature there are ~1 x 1010 cm-3 free
carriers (out of ~2 x 1023 cm-3)
Properties of Silicon Semiconductor
Donor dopants increase the number of conduction
electrons
A donor atom, such
as phosphorus, has
five valence electrons, P
+

four of which
participate in bonding,
leaving one extra
electron that is easily
released for
conduction. The donor
site becomes positively charged (fixed charge).

Silicon doped with a donor is called n-type.

Properties of Silicon Semiconductor
Acceptor dopants increase the number of holes in the
lattice
An acceptor atom,
such as boron, has
three valence
electrons, and can B-

therefore easily accept

an electron from a
neighbour, leaving a
free hole. The dopant
has a fixed negative
charge.
Silicon doped with an acceptor is called p-type.
Properties of Silicon Semiconductor
Overall doping depends on the relative number of
acceptors and donors.

P+

Silicon doped with B- B-

donor and acceptor

atoms is called Counter
Doped, and can have
multiple separate
regions of n- and p-type
conductivity
Properties of Silicon Semiconductor
The carriers distribution is also affected by electric fields

Between collisions with

the lattice the carriers
are accelerated in the B-

direction of the
electrostatic field.

E
Combining the effects of doping and fields on the carrier
concentration and distribution, we can realise useful
devices.
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
Silicon devices are built up in a series of layers, using
processes such as photo-lithography, etching and
doping.
Oxide layer is grown on n-type silicon by heating
to around 1000˚C in oxygen or steam.

A light sensitive resist is coated on the Si, and

exposed to a light pattern. The exposed resist is
developed in a solvent

The unexposed areas of resist are used as a

mask to protect areas of the wafer from plasma
etching, dopant implantation, or metal coating.
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
Metal
Gate
Contact
B+ B + B+ B + B + B+ B + B+ B+ B +

Doped
Silicon
Silicon
Oxide
Silicon

A Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor is a

fairly simple device, but still requires four separate
lithography steps. The lithographic step is probably the most
important in microfabrication. Modern chips frequently
require 30 to 50 layers (each with multiple process steps)
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
Silicon devices are built
up in a series of layers,
using processes such as
photo-lithography,
etching and doping.

An oxide layer is grown

on n-type silicon by
heating to around
1000˚C in oxygen or
steam.
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
Light sensitive material,
known as resist, is spin
coated onto the surface

Light is projected through

a patterned mask onto
the resist.

A developing solvent is
then used to remove the
exposed resist.
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
The sample is etched with
plasma or acids to remove
the exposed oxide.

The resist pattern is

removed with chemical
stripper or oxygen plasma

A 50 nm Gate Oxide layer

is thermally grown.
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
A 50 nm layer of poly-
silicon is made by
chemical vapour
deposition.
Another resist pattern is
defined, and developed.

The pattern is transferred

through both the poly-
silicon and the gate oxide
by etching, and the resist
is stripped.
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
Boron dopant atoms are Contact Cuts
B +
B +
B +
B + B + B+ B + B+ B+ B +
ion implanted, and then
driven in by heating to
950˚C in oxygen
Yet another photolitho-
graphy, etch and resist
strip step is used, to
create contact cuts in the
oxide layer
Fabrication of a Device (MOSFET)
Aluminium is evaporated B+ B + B+ B + B + B+ B + B+ B+ B +
on to the surface.
And one last patterning,
and etching step to afford
a MOSFET (metal-oxide-
semiconductor field effect
transistor)

It took four separate lithography steps to realise this

fairly simple device. The lithographic step is probably
the most important in microfabrication. Modern chips
frequently require 30 to 50 layers (each with multiple
process steps)