2.2.3 Summary to: 2.2. Silicon

Silicon, and only Si, enables integrated circuits of amazing complexity, with billions of transistor on one chip

Two kinds of integrated transistors exist.

MOS - the absolute majority
bipolar - if speed counts

Wafers diameter are up to 300 mm (2007), smallest (lateral) structures on a wafer are in or below the 100 nm range.

Integrated circuits are packaged chips with some connections to the outside world

Besides integrated circuits, Si is increasingly used for other semiconductor products:

Solar cells based on Si consume more Si than IC's, and demand rapidly increasing Si production. The key point of Si solar cell technology is to have high efficiencies h at low prices.

Microelectronic and micro-mechanic (and micro-optics and micro-fluidic and...) = MEMS systems find increasing uses for many tasks.

Exercise 2.2-1
All Class Exercises to 2.2