History of IC

• Invented by Kirby, 1959
• First announced as ‘Solid Circuit’
• Later known as ‘Integrated Circuit’
• Transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors and interconnecting wires in a single piece of semiconductor material
• IC = chip

Semiconductor industry

The semiconductor industry reflects and serves an extraordinary revolution in both materials science and in data processing and storage. As recently as 1980, most individuals had no idea that computers would ever impact their personal lives. Today, many families own one or two computers, and use many other computers and dedicated processor systems in their appliances and automobiles. The intrusion of electronics and computer technology into our lives and the devices we use daily is growing at an exponential rate, and Moore’s Law still applied in the computer world. This is one of the few markets in which, as time passes, the power and capacity of the products grows steadily, while the cost of that power and capacity drops.

Today, only twenty years later, we are continually pushing the envelope of capabilities of the data processing and storage systems that are now in the mainstream. Ingenuity and creativity, along with great strides in quality control, process control, and worker productivity, are leading daily to new ideas about how to further reduce device size and data density. On the horizon are visions of biochemicallybased devices which will be far smaller, work faster, and generate less heat than current devices. It is worth spending some time imagining where this evolving technology will take us, and the society we live in.

IC manufacturing

The processing of Silicon wafers to produce integrated circuits involves a good deal of chemistry and physics. In order to alter the surface conditions and properties, it is necessary to use both inert and toxic chemicals, specific and unusual conditions, and to manipulate those conditions with both plasma-state elements and with RF (Radio Frequency) energies. Starting with thin, round wafers of silicon crystal, in diameters of 150, 200, and 300mm, the processes described here build up a succession of layers of materials and geometries to produce thousands of electronic devices at tiny sizes, which together function as integrated circuits (ICs). The devices which now occupy the surface of a one-inch square IC would have occupied the better part of a medium-sized room 20 years ago, when all these devices (transistors, resistors, capacitors, and so on) were only available as discreet units. The conditions under which these processes can work to successfully transform the silicon into ICs require an absolute absence of contaminants.

Thus, the process chambers normally operate under vacuum, with elemental, molecular, and other particulate contaminants rigorously controlled. In order to understand these processes, then, we will begin the study of semiconductor processing with an overview of vacuum systems and theory, of gas systems and theory, as applied specifically to these tools, and of clean room processes and procedures

Goal of technology scaling

• Make things cheaper
• Sell more functions for the same money
• Build same products cheaper
• Less power consumed
  

IC package types

IC package - Normal IC package

Dual in-line (DIP) package - Terminals are on two opposite sides of the package and are arranged two rows.Lead pitch = 2.54 mm

Surface mount packages - Terminals are on four sides of the packageand are formed gull wing shape(L-shape).Lead potch = 1.0 mm,0.8 mm,0.65 mm

Pin grid array package - Terminals are on one surfaceof the of the package and are arrangedin a grid array.Lead pitch = 2.54mm, 1.27mm

Ball grid array package - Balls are on one surface of the packageand are arranged in a grid arrayTerminal pitch=1.0mm or more.

Chip scale package - Current design

IC advantages over discrete components

Size - Much smaller both transistor and wires
- Leads to smaller parasitic resistances, capacitances and inductances
Speed - Communication within chip much faster
- High speed of circuits due to smaller size
Power consumption - Consumes much less power

Digital System Design

I would like to dedicate this blog for sharing information on digital system design. This blog will provide information that are related to designing digital system which is popular today. I think by taking the initiative, I hope we all together can study and learn on how to design digital system.