Questions tagged [semiconductor-process-technology]

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Why are microprocessors made using silicon and not germanium? [closed]

I heard that microprocessors are usually made using silicon, yet germanium has a better conductive state. Why isn't germanium not chosen instead, taking to account that better conductors provide ...
kopon stanley's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
59 views

How accurate are internal terminators on chips with high speed differential inputs?

I'm aware that due to process variation, some analog parameters of semiconductor devices can vary; sometimes quite a lot. (E.g. the SST3904 transistor specifies a DC current gain somewhere between 100 ...
Rocketmagnet's user avatar
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4 votes
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Why are drain and source not actually perfectly symmetric?

In textbook treatments, one has that the source and drain of a MOSFET are completely symmetrical and therefore interchangeable -- the distinction is only made by which is at a higher voltage in the ...
EE18's user avatar
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Reasons for lower flicker noise in PMOS vs. NMOS - buried channel, mobility

There have been other questions on the site about why PMOS devices are observed to have less flicker noise than NMOS devices, for example this one, but I'm not sure it's correct. On mobility - the ...
Halleff's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is there a CMOS-based analog compute chip that uses hybrid technology nodes? (e.g. 14 nm for digital part such as SRAM and 28 nm for analog part)

In CMOS-based analog computing, there always are mixture of analog and digital parts. For example, the computation is performed in analog domain and the storage of on-chip data in performed in digital ...
Yu Qian's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
163 views

Why do JFET use buried channels?

All sketches of JFET construction that provide an actual 3D impression suggest that the channel is buried, e.g. here. I imagine that the formation of such a channel geometry requires at least two ...
tobalt's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Suggested Configuration of Sputtering System?

hopefully this is in the right section, a lot of electrical engineers work in semiconductors. I have an old hummer II desktop sputter coater I am trying to make use of. The documentation of something ...
Matt's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
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How does one manufacture a P-N junction?

When I read a physics textbook about a P-N junction, it will tell me that you connect a P-doped semiconductor to an N-doped semiconductor, and you form a depletion region. From what I know about ...
Roy's user avatar
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1 answer
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Custom semiconductor processes with 3rd party foundry

There's foundries with established processes which give you a process kit to simulate things like transistors etc. But suppose someone wanted to develop a custom imaging sensor which requires ...
FourierFlux's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
700 views

What are the ways in which semiconductor-grade neon is critical for manufacturing?

This is a question about material use specifically in semiconductor manufacturing. CNN's Ukraine halts half of world's neon output for chips, clouding outlook begins: Ukraine's two leading suppliers ...
uhoh's user avatar
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OpenLane .gds file simulation/verification

Is there any way/software to simulate a .gds file. I know this file is only a geometry file so it doesn't really contain any information about the physical connections between stuff, it only seems to ...
Reon's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Ambiguity of the "intrinsic" layer in a PIN diode

I'm having trouble understanding the fundamental makeup of large PIN diodes, specifically those used in radiation detection devices. For example, high purity germanium (HPGe) detectors are often ...
thegreatemu's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
168 views

What is the current state of the art design rule for SiC VLSI? Technological impediments to making a SiC microcontroller for a Venus lander at 460 °C?

A sub-discussion below Is there any demonstrated or even proposed technology that can sterilize a spacecraft with 100% certainty and yet leave it electronically functional? in Space Exploration SE ...
uhoh's user avatar
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10 votes
1 answer
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Why do silicon wafers look rainbow colored?

. Image taken from Can somebody identify this 12" silicon wafer? So this silicon wafer looks multicolored (and beautiful). But how does it get multicolored like a rainbow? What is the reason for ...
Shashank V M's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
530 views

Is there any specific application for an indirect band gap semiconductor?

I know that direct band gap semiconductors are very attractive for optical emission, and even though indirect band gap are used as well, I keep wondering: is there any technology that specifically ...
Bidon's user avatar
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8 votes
1 answer
396 views

How is the asymmetry of a Schottky diode obtained?

A Schottky diode is constructed with two metal conductors bonded to a doped semiconductor. One of the metal-semiconductor junctions is a Schottky contact, and the other metal-semiconductor junction is ...
Math Keeps Me Busy's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
803 views

Can drain and source length be smaller than minimum channel length in CMOS technology?

I know the channel width can't be smaller, but what about drain and source? Say, in 0.18u technology, what would be a typical drain/source length?
MNaz's user avatar
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1 answer
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Feature 'logo/labels' on cases of self made devices

Not really an electronics question however has something to do with the tech you have used for your own projects. For example, on any consumer device with USB support, Bluetooth, HDMI 2.x etc there is ...
Codebeat's user avatar
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40 votes
5 answers
13k views

When Intel / AMD choose their Nanometer Processes, why were the specific numbers, 5, 7, 10, 14, 22, 32, 45, etc chosen?

When looking at the roadmaps for the CPU manufacturing process https://wccftech.com/intel-expects-launch-10nm-2017/ Semiconductor Process Technology Year 10 µm 1971 6 µm 1974 3 µm 1977 1.5 µm ...
Anon's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Difference between Logic Chip and Memory Chip front-end manufacturing process?

I understand that memory chips like DRAM Chips require a little different set of Front-end setup than logics chips. However, I am not finding anywhere how the actual manufacturing steps differ, ...
Jnanadarshan Nayak's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
158 views

Does frequency scale proportionally?

Suppose that I am working with an FPGA and I synthesize two architectures A and B. A achieves a maximum frequency of 60 MHz on FPGA and B achieves 50 MHz on the same FPGA. Now suppose that I ...
Hadley Siqueira's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
179 views

Is it possible to have a non-integer multiple of minimum length in MOSFET technology?

I need to design an OTA with 0.25 \$\mu m\$ CMOS technology. Can I choose to have a transistor with a channel length of 0.60 \$\mu m\$? I don't know if 0.25 is the resolution of our technology process ...
Dealer's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
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What is the actual cmos technology node of China and Russia not licensing major process technology from outside?

There are a number of Russian fabs but from what I can see they are just using liscened technology ie Sitronics using STmicroelectronics at 90nm node or Angstrem-T using AMD see yet in the past there ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
356 views

Are 7nm or 10nm transistors reality or is it just a marketing strategy by processor manufacturers?

Now a days chip manufacturers, like Qualcomm, claim that they have built a 7nm chip. Is 7nm really the size of transistor or is it just a marketing strategy? If 7nm is just for marketing and not the ...
Jak Ahmed's user avatar