MEng Electronic Engineering with Industrial Experience / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course unit details:
Microelectronic Components

Course unit fact file
Unit code EEEN20232
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 2
Teaching period(s) Semester 2
Offered by Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Brief Description of the Unit:
  1. Integrated circuit process technology. Photolithography, diffusion and ion implantation doping, annealing, dielectric films, thermal growth mechanisms, chemical vapour deposition, polycrystalline silicon and silicon nitride deposition.
  2. Metal­-semiconductor junction characteristics, small signal equivalent circuit and the associated parameters.
  3. nMOS and pMOS transistors, CMOS technology, the CMOS inverter, planar fabrication of CMOS integrated circuits.
  4. MOS transistor's gate and junction capacitances.
  5. Current control in MOS transistors, modelling of the MOS transistor, regions of MOS device operation.
  6. Small signal equivalent circuits in MOSFETs and their associated parameters.
  7. State­-of-­the-­art and emerging device architectures, high­-k metal gate CMOS process, strained silicon, silicon on insulator, FinFET devices.

 

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title Unit code Requirement type Description
Electronic Materials EEEN10021 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
Electronic Circuit Design I EEEN10232 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
VLSI Design EEEN20272 Co-Requisite Compulsory

Aims

This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 2020/21 and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates.

The course unit aims to:

(1) Introduce the key components of microelectronic devices.

(2) Introduce modern integrated circuit manufacturing techniques.

(3) Emphasise the importance of semiconductor device models.

Learning outcomes

All of the following Intended Learning Outcomes are developed and assessed. On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

ILO 1

Identify the key physical concepts necessary to understand silicon microelectronic components.

ILO 2

Explain metal-semiconductor junctions in terms of vacuum level, electron affinity and work function for Schottky and Ohmic contacts.

ILO 3

Explain the physics behind MOS devices with the aid of energy-band diagrams and space charge distribution.

ILO 4

Calculate the threshold voltage necessary for strong inversion in ideal, as well as non-ideal MOS devices.

ILO 5

Analyse the gradual channel model for understanding current control in MOSFETs and evaluate small signal equivalent circuits with associated parameters.

ILO 6

Design simple MOS logic structures including CMOS inverters.

ILO 7

Describe the fundamental processes involved in silicon integrated circuit manufacture.

ILO 8

Discuss the enormous technical challenges presented by modern and emerging integrated circuit technologies.

 

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Written exam 80%
Report 20%

Recommended reading

  1. Solid State Electronic Devices, Streetman & Banerjee, PEARSON (7-ed) (Core)
  2. Microelectronic Circuits, Sedra & Smith, Oxford (7-ed) (Essential)
  3. The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication, S.A. Campbell, Oxford (Essential)
  4. Semiconductor Devices (Physics and Technology), S.M. Sze (Recommended)
  5. Silicon VLSI Technology: Fundamentals, Practice, and Modelling, J.D. Plummer,  M.D. Deal, P.B. Griffin (Recommended)
  6. IC Fabrication Technology, G. Bose (Recommended)

 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 20
Practical classes & workshops 6
Tutorials 4
Independent study hours
Independent study 70

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Leszek Majewski Unit coordinator

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