Description
Book SynopsisGain complete understanding of electronic systems and their constituent parts. From the origins of the semiconductor industry right up until today, this book serves as a technical primer to semiconductor technology. Spanning design and manufacturing to the basic physics of electricity, it provides a comprehensive base of understanding from transistor to iPhone.
Melding an accessible, conversational style with over 100 diagrams and illustrations, Understanding Semiconductors provides clear explanations of technical concepts going deep enough to fully explain key vernacular, mechanisms, and basic processes, without getting lost in the supporting theories or the theories that support the supporting theories. Concepts are tethered to the real world with crisp analysis of industry dynamics and future trends.
As a break from the straight-ahead scientific concepts that keep the world of semiconductors spinning, Understanding Semicond
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Semiconductors Basics
Electricity
Electric Charge
Electric Current
Electromagnetic Force (EMF) and Voltage
Power
Joule’s Law
Conductivity
Conductors
Insulators
Semiconductors
Silicon – The Crucial Semiconductor
Semiconductor History – Part One
Semiconductor Value Chain
Customer Need & Market Demand
Chip Design
Fabrication & Manufacturing
Packaging & Assembly
System Integration
Product Delivery
Performance, Power, Area, and Cost (PPAC)
Who Uses Semiconductors?
Chapter Two: Circuit Building Blocks
Discrete Components – The Building Blocks of Circuits
Transistors
Transistor Structure
How Transistors Work – A Water Analogy
FinFET vs. MOSFET Transistors
CMOS
Geometric vs. Functional Scaling – Part 1
Logic Gates
Chapter Three: Building a System
Different Levels of Electronics – How the System Fits Together
Integrated Circuit Design Flow
System Level Architecture
Front End Design
Design Verification
Physical Design
High Level Synthesis
Design Netlist
Floorplanning
Place-and-Route
Clock-tree Synthesis
Back End Validation
Manufacturing (GDS)
EDA Tools
Chapter Four: Semiconductor Manufacturing
Front-End Manufacturing
Deposition
Patterning & Lithography
Removal Processes
Physical Property Alteration
Cycling – Pre & Post Metal
Wafer Probing, Yield, and Failure Analysis
Back-End Manufacturing
Assembly & Test
Wafer Dicing
Die Bonding
External Interconnect Formation
Encapsulation and Sealing
Final Testing
Chapter Five:
Tying the System Together
Input / Output (I/O)
IC Packaging
Wire Bonding
Flip Chip Packaging
Wafer Level Packaging
Multi-Chip Modules & System-In Packages
2.5/3D Packaging
Signal Integrity
Bus Interfaces
Power Flow within Electronic Systems
Chapter Six:
Common Circuits and System Components
Digital vs. Analog
Wavelength vs. Frequency
Building a System - Putting Components Together Common System Components – The SIA Framework
Micro Components
Logic
Memory
OSD
Analog Components
Micro Components
Microprocessors & Microcontrollers
Digital Signal Processors
Micro Component Market Summary
Logic
Special Purpose Logic
Central Processing Unit
Graphics Processing Unit
ASIC vs. FPGA
System on Chip
Logic Market Summary
Memory
Memory Stack
Volatile Memory
Random Access Memory
DRAM
SRAM
Non-Volatile Memory
Primary Memory
ROM
PROM
EPROM
EEPROM
NAND
Secondary Memory
HDD
SSD
Stacked Die Memory
High Bandwidth Memory
Hybrid Memory Cube
Memory Market Summary
Optoelectronics, Sensors & Actuators, and Discrete Components
Optoelectronics
Sensors & Actuators
MEMS
Discrete Components
PMIC
PMU
OSD Market Summary
Analog Components
General Purpose Analog IC vs. ASSP
Analog Component Market Summary
Chapter Seven: RF & Wireless Technologies
RF Signals and The Electromagnetic Spectrum
RFIC – Transmitters and Receivers
Power Source
Oscillators
Modulators & Demodulators
Amplifiers
Antenna
Filters
OSI Reference Model
Application Layer
Physical Layer (PHY)
Macro System Stack
RF and Wireless – The Big Picture
Base Stations
Tracking a Phone Call
Broadcasting and Frequency Regulation
Digital Signal Processing
TDMA & CDMA
1G to 5G – An Evolution
Wireless Communication and Cloud Computing
Chapter Eight: System Architecture and Integration
Macro vs. Micro-Architecture
Common Chip Architectures
Von Neumann Architecture
Harvard Architecture
CISC vs. RISC
Choosing an ISA
Heterogenous vs. Monolithic Integration
Chapter Nine: The Semiconductor Industry – Past, Present, and Future
Semiconductor Industry – Major Challenges
Design Costs
Manufacturing Costs
Evolution of the Semiconductor Industry
1960-1980’s: Fully Integrated Semiconductor Companies
1980’s-2000: IDM + Fabless Design + Pure-Play Foundry
2000-Today: IDM + Fabless Design + Foundries + System Companies
Fabs vs. Fabless Design – The Case Against IDM’s
Industry Outlook
Cyclical Revenues and High Volatility
High R&D and Capital Investment
Positive Productivity Growth
Long-Term Profitability
High Consolidation
2010-2021: Major Acquisitions by Year
U.S. vs. International Semiconductor Market
COVID-19 & The Semiconductor Supply Chain
Chinese Competition
Chapter Ten: The Future of Semiconductors and Electronic Systems
Prolonging Moore’s Law – Sustaining Technologies
2.5 & 3D Die Stacking
Gate-All-Around (GAA) Transistors & New Channel Materials
Custom Silicon & Specialized Accelerators
Graphene Carbon Nanotubes & 2D Transistors
Overcoming Moore’s Law – New Technologies
Quantum Computing & Quantum Transistors
Neuromorphic Computing
