Ch_03

INTRODUCTION TO VLSI
CSE412
IC
Lecture
Fabrication 3
TANVIR AHMED
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, CSE DEPARTMENT
MANARAT INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY
LECTURE CONTENT
🞆 Steps of NMOS Fabrication

Step 1: Wafer preparation
• Wafer is produced from pure crystal silicon using Czochralski method.

Such wafers are about 75 to 150 mm in diameter and 0.4 mm thick.
• Wafer is doped with p type substrate like boron during crystal growth.
Step 2: Oxidation, growth of thick SiO2 layer
• A layer of silicon dioxide (SiO2) typically 1 micrometer thick is grown all over
the surface of the wafer to protect the surface, acts as a barrier to
the dopant during processing, and provide a generally insulating substrate on
to which other layers may be deposited and patterned.
Step 3: Photoresist Layer
• The surface is now covered with the photoresist which is deposited onto
the wafer and spun to an even distribution of the required thickness.
Step 4:Exposing to UV radiation through Mask
(Photolithography)
• The photo resist layer is then exposed to ultraviolet light through
masking which defines those regions into which diffusion take place
together with transistor channel.
• Shielded region from UV light are unaffected while exposed regions are
polymerized or hardened.
Step 5: Etching
• The unpolymerized soft region is then etched away with
underline SiO2 layer so that the silicon wafer region is open that
is defined by mask. The remaining photoresist also are stripped
away by H2SO4.
Step 6: Growing thin oxide layer
• A layer of the thin oxide SiO2 (0.1 micrometer typical) is grown over the
entire chip surface at high temperature. It will eventually form the gate
oxide layer of MOS transistor.
Step 7: Coating with polysilicon to form gate
• The polysilicon layer consists of heavily doped polysilicon deposited at

the surface of the substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD).
Step 8: Coating with photoresist
• Photoresist is done for the second time at the surface of the substrate.
Step 9: Exposing to UV radiation through Mask
(Photolithography)
• The photolithography process also done for the second time. The
process is done to create a new pattern to make a polysilicon gate at the
center of the substrate.
(Photolithography) (Con’t)
Step 10: Diffusion
🞆 In this process, Substrate is bombarded by an amount of arsenic or
phosphorus electron to create N region to form drain and source.
Step 11: Growth of thick SiO2 Layer
🞆 Oxidation process is conducted once more to grow an insulating oxide at
the substrate
(Photolithography)
Step 13: Etching
Step 14: Metallization
🞆 The substrate then has metal (aluminum) deposited over its surface to a
thickness typically of 1 micrometer. Aluminum evaporated to cover
surface.
Step 15: Add of photoresist layer, photolithography,
etching
🞆 This metal layer is then masked and etched to form
the required interconnection pattern.
Final NMOS transistor
🞆 Finally, metal electrical connection contact is given to

heavily doped n diffused area which will work as source
and drain and to gate.
Terminologies
CRYSTAL GROWTH & WAFER PREPARATION
🞆 The raw material is silica (SiO 2) which is nothing but sand.
🞆 Sand is gone through high temperature (>1400 0 C) reaction to produce pure Si.
🞆 Now, Si crystal is needed for making wafer.
🞆 To achieve it, a small seed of silicon is placed in a molten silicon structure and then,
slowly pulled away to form a cylindrical Silicon crystal structure inside the molten.
🞆 After that, the structure or ingot is sliced into pieces in disk format.
🞆 At this stage, wafer is ready to use.
Czochralski Method
OXIDATION
Oxidation: A layer of SiO2 is

formed top of silicon wafer.
🞆 Silicon wafers are placed
into a high temperature

furnace (900ºC < T < 1200ºC)
in the presence of oxygen or
water where the following
reaction occurs:
Si + O2 → SiO2
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY
Photolithography: The process of transferring

geometric pattern onto photoresist material with the
help of mask is termed as photolithography.
🞆 Photoresist: An organic polymer, sensitive to UV

light and resistant to attack by acids.
A photoresist layer is formed above the wafer.
🞆 Mask: Photomask is an opaque plate that has holes

or transparencies which allow light to shine through
in a defined pattern.
PHOTOLITHOGRAPHY
Two types of resist can be

used:
Positive resist - Exposed
regions become more
soluble. A positive mask is
left after develop.
Negative resist - Exposed
materials harden. A
negative mask is left after
develop.
ETCHING
Etching: is used to chemically remove material

selectively from surface of wafer.
SiO2 + HF H2SiF6 + H2O

Chemical Vapor Deposition
🞆 Vacuum deposition , also known as vacuum

coating or thin-film deposition, is a group of processes
used to deposit layers of material atom-by-atom or
molecule-by-molecule on a solid surface. These
processes operate at pressures well below atmospheric
pressure (i.e., vacuum).
🞆 In typical CVD, the wafer (substrate) is exposed to one or
more volatile precursors,
which react and/or decompose on the substrate surface
to produce the desired deposit. Frequently, volatile by-
products are also produced, which are removed by gas
flow through the reaction chamber.
DOPANT DIFFUSION
Dopant Diffusion:
🞆 In order for the dopants to move
into the silicon, they must be
given energy, usually in the form
of heat. In order for the diffusion
to occur in a reasonable time, the
temperature must be very high
(900ºC <T<1200º).
🞆 At this temperature the dopant
(in the form of an oxide) reacts
with the exposed silicon surface to
form a highly doped glass. It is
from this glass that the dopants
can then diffuse into the wafer.
METALLIZATION
🞆 After all diffusion and oxidation steps

are completed, metal is deposited onto
the surface of the wafer. This metal is
used to ‘wire’ the devices fabricated in
the silicon together.
🞆 The wafers are put into a large chamber
and the air is pumped out of the system.
A piece of aluminum located on a
tungsten ‘boat’ in the system is heated to
high temperature, causing the
aluminum to melt and evaporate. The
evaporated aluminum will solidify into a
thin film when it touches the silicon
wafer.
• In industry, fabrication can go through 300-400 process steps along with 15-20
different masks with microscopically small patterns!!!

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INTRODUCTION TO VLSI

🞆 Steps of NMOS Fabrication

• Wafer is produced from pure crystal silicon using Czochralski method.

• The polysilicon layer consists of heavily doped polysilicon deposited at

🞆 Finally, metal electrical connection contact is given to

Oxidation: A layer of SiO2 is

into a high temperature

Photolithography: The process of transferring

🞆 Photoresist: An organic polymer, sensitive to UV

A photoresist layer is formed above the wafer.

🞆 Mask: Photomask is an opaque plate that has holes

Two types of resist can be

Etching: is used to chemically remove material

SiO2 + HF H2SiF6 + H2O

🞆 Vacuum deposition , also known as vacuum

🞆 After all diffusion and oxidation steps

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