IEEE @ IIIT-H

Abstract:

 

A detailed insight into the world of Chip Fabrication, ranging from the minute details and intricacies of technological involvement to the macro-scale Lab-environment moderating systems was given.

 

 

Audience:

 

Undergrad Students and Research students alike participated in this event.

 

 

Summary:

 

      As a part of the IEEE Student Branch Activities, an educational visit to the Fabrication Laboratory in the University of Hyderabad was conducted. Research students and Undergrad Students alike, accompanied by Dr. Shubhajit Roy Chowdhury (Profile) interacted with Dr. Guruswamy Rajaram (Profile) along with the faculty of Centre for Nanotechnology situated in the University of Hyderabad (Website). The students were allowed to enter the clean room (10,000 ppm) wearing space suit like overalls. It was also mentioned that there is a special kind of paper that is used to make notes when inside the Clean Room to avoid any kind of paper particles in the atmosphere. The students were briefed about the accepted lab conduct for the sake of preserving the purity of the lab's particulate atmosphere. 

      The basics of fabrication and the constraints in the process were discussed at length. The Fabrication Facility was described to be capable of fabricating Micrometers length devices. An explanation of what kind of materials are used and why the particulate atmosphere plays a major role in chip fabrication was given. How the scale at which the Fabrication takes place in turn demands for a better particulate atmospheric purity was discussed. Various devices in the lab were expounded. Some of them are enlisted here:

1. Mask Alignment Apparatus in the Ultra Clean Room

2. Spin Coater

3. Scriber

4. Wire Bonder

5. Profiler

6. Deionizer (A device to de-ionize the water which is used to rinse the Silicon wafer after each step of Fabrication)

and there were many other instruments used in the process of Fabrication.

      A differential Amplifier and a Circular Capacitor which were fabricated in the facility were shown. It was also told that the fabrication facility can support the fabrication of one or few transistor devices and Integrated Circuits could also be fabricated there. The Ultra Clean Room (1000 ppm) was also explored. The process of deposition of the Gate Junction of the MESFET which is typically done in the Ultra Clean Room was explained. The process of etching was elaborated upon. Different technological scales and the ones that are available were broached (typically Micrometer devices). The Nano fab facility and it's advantages were explained. 

      An explanation of how delicate the balance of the whole facility was, was presented. The fact that a dual sand banking upon which the foundations to the facility building were laid to absorb even the tiniest of vibrations due to any stray seismic or any other sort of disturbances was elaborated upon. Furthermore the outer rim area of the lab which is used as an insulating region before the outside environment is encountered was explored. The mega - air - conditioning system which maintains the pristine conditions for fabrication requirements was explored.