IC Technology Part 3

Question 1

How semiconductor industry have achieved the complex integrated circuits?

Answer 1

1. Moore’s Law.
2. Continuous technology Scaling.

Question 2

In 1962, four women programmers hold parts of the first four ____________________. From left is the ________ board, ________ board, ________ board, and the ________ board.

Answer 2

Army computers, ENIAC, EDVAC, ORDVAC, BRLESC-I

Question 3

“Cramming more components onto integrated circuits”.

Answer 3

Gordon E. Moore

Question 4

Chairman Emeritus of Intel Corporation

Answer 4

Gordon E. Moore (1965)

Question 5

• Noticed number of transistors ___________ with release of each new IC generation
• release dates (separate generations) were all ______ months apart

Answer 5

doubling, 18-24

Question 6

“The number of transistors on an integrated circuit will double every 18 months”

• The level of integration of silicon technology as measured in terms of number of devices per IC
• Semiconductor industry has followed this prediction with surprising accuracy.

Answer 6

Moore’s law

Question 7

The Reason of Scaling the Transistors

• Threshold voltage roll-off, drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL).
• Leakage currents increase.

Answer 7

Short-Channel Effects (SCEs)

Question 8

The Reason of Scaling the Transistors

• While each transistor uses less power, billions of transistors packed together generate heat.

Answer 8

Power Density

Question 9

The Reason of Scaling the Transistors

• Ultra-thin oxides (<2 nm) cause tunneling leakage.

Answer 9

Gate Oxide Reliability

Question 10

The Reason of Scaling the Transistors

• Advanced lithography (e.g., EUV for 7 nm → 2 nm nodes) is very expensive.

Answer 10

Process Variation & Manufacturing Cost

Question 11

The Reason of Scaling the Transistors

• Approaching atomic dimensions (~1-2 nm channel length).
• Beyond that, quantum effects dominate.

Answer 11

Physical Limits

Question 12

Intel’s RibbonFET, a Gate-All-Around (GAA) transistor design, used in Intel 20A, 18A, and 14A nodes.

Question 13

Intel has prototyped highly efficient transistors with a gate length of 6 nm and a fin thickness of 1.7 nm.

Question 14

In the early days of integrated circuits, only a few transistors could be placed on a chip, as the scale used was large because of the contemporary technology, and manufacturing yields were low as compared with today’s standards.

Question 15

RibbonFET is Intel’s gate-all-around
(GAA) transistor for 5 nm and beyond.
Unlike FinFETs, whose gate covers three sides, RibbonFET uses stacked
nanosheets fully surrounded by the gate.
This design provides better electrostatic control, faster switching, strong drive currents, and a smaller footprint.

Question 16

As the degree of integration was small, the design was done easily.
Over time, millions, and today billions, of transistors could be placed on one chip, and to make a good design became a task to be planned thoroughly. This gave rise to new design methods.