Understanding Semiconductors: A Technical Guide for Non-Technical People (Maker Innovations Series)

Gain 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 Semiconductors is liberally sprinkled with apt analogies that elucidate difficult concepts. For example, when describing the relationship between voltage, current, power, and the flow of electricity through an electronic system, the book draws a parallel to a hot shower and the water utility system. Most of these are paired with clear visuals, giving you the best chance possible to absorb the concept at hand before moving on to the next topic. Whether you’re narrowly technical or don’t know silicon from silly putty, working directly in hardware technologies and want to know more, or simply a curious person seeking hard information about the technology that powers the modern world, Understanding Semiconductors will be an informative, dependable resource. What You'll Learn: Charge, Electricity, and Basic Physics What are Semiconductors The Semiconductor Value Chain and Design Trade-Offs Transistors and Other Common Circuit Building Blocks Semiconductor Design from Concept to Tapeout Wafer Fabrication and Semiconductor Manufacturing Process Integrated Circuit (IC) Packaging and Signal & Power Integrity (SIPI) Common Circuits and System Components RF and Wireless Technologies System Architecture and Integration The Semiconductor Industry - Challenges, History, and Trends The Future of Semiconductors and Electronic Systems Who This Book Is For: People working directly in the semiconductor, electronics, and hardware technologies fields or in supporting industries, hobbyists and new electrical engineering enthusiasts with minimal technical experience or pre-existing qualifications, and curious individuals interested in learning more about a fascinating area of technology. Though designed for a non- or semi-technical reader, engineers focused in one particular domain can also use this book to broaden their understanding in areas that aren’t directly related to their core area of expertise. Contents 4 About the Author 5 About the Technical Reviewer 6 Acknowledgments 7 Foreword 8 Introduction 10 Chapter 1: Semiconductor Basics 12 Electricity and Conductivity 12 Silicon – The Crucial Semiconductor 26 A Quick Semiconductor History 26 Semiconductor Value Chain – Our Roadmap 27 Performance, Power, Area, and Cost (PPAC) 30 Who Uses Semiconductors? 31 Summary 33 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 34 Chapter 2: Circuit Building Blocks 35 Discrete Components – The Building Blocks of Circuits 35 Transistors 38 Transistor Structure 40 How Transistors Work 40 How Transistors Work – A Water Analogy 41 FinFET vs. MOSFET Transistors 44 CMOS 45 How Transistors Are Used 47 Logic Gates 48 Summary 49 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 49 Chapter 3: Building a System 50 Different Levels of Electronics – How the System Fits Together 51 Integrated Circuit Design Flow 53 The Design Process 54 EDA Tools 64 Summary 65 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 65 Chapter 4: Semiconductor Manufacturing 66 Manufacturing Overview 66 Front-End Manufacturing 68 Cycling – Pre- and Post-Metal 75 Wafer Probing, Yield, and Failure Analysis 80 Back-End Manufacturing 83 Assembly and Test 83 Semiconductor Equipment 87 Summary 87 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 89 Chapter 5: Tying the System Together 90 What Is a System? 90 Input/Output (I/O) 91 IC Packaging 91 Signal Integrity 97 Bus Interfaces 98 Power Flow in Electronic Systems 102 Summary 103 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 104 Chapter 6: Common Circuits and System Components 105 Digital vs. Analog 106 Common System Components – The SIA Framework 108 Micro Components 110 Microprocessors and Microcontrollers 110 Digital Signal Processors (DSP) 111 Micro Component Market Summary 111 Logic 112 Special Purpose Logic 112 Central Processing Unit 113 Graphics Processing Units 114 ASICs vs. FPGAs 116 ASIC or FPGA – Which to Choose? 117 System on Chip 120 Logic Market Summary 122 Memory 123 Memory Stack 123 Volatile Memory 128 Non-Volatile Memory 128 Primary Non-Volatile Memory 129 Secondary Memory (HDD vs. SSD) 130 Stacked Die Memory (HBM vs. HMC) 131 Memory Market Summary 132 Optoelectronics, Sensors and Actuators, Discrete Components (OSD) 133 Optoelectronics 133 Sensors and Actuators 134 MEMS 135 Discrete Components 137 Discrete Components vs. Power Management ICs (PMIC) 137 Optoelectronics, Sensors and Actuators, and Discrete Components Market Summary 138 Analog Components 139 General Purpose Analog ICs vs. ASSPs 139 Analog Component Market Summary 139 Signal Processing Systems – Putting Components Together 140 Chapter Six Summary 142 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 143 Chapter 7: RF and Wireless Technologies 144 RF and Wireless 144 RF Signals and the Electromagnetic Spectrum 145 RFIC – Transmitters and Receivers 146 The OSI Reference Model 150 RF and Wireless – The Big Picture 152 Broadcasting and Frequency Regulation 155 Digital Signal Processing 155 TDMA and CDMA 156 1G to 5G(eneration) – An Evolution 158 Wireless Communication and Cloud Computing 159 Chapter Seven Summary 160 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 161 Chapter 8: System Architecture and Integration 162 Macroarchitecture vs. Microarchitecture 163 Common Chip Architectures 163 Von Neumann Architecture vs. Harvard Architecture 163 Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) vs. Microarchitecture 166 Instruction Pipelining and Processor Performance 167 CISC vs. RISC 171 Choosing an ISA 174 Heterogeneous vs. Monolithic Integration – From PCBs to SoCs 175 Chapter Eight Summary 180 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 180 Chapter 9: The Semiconductor Industry – Past, Present, and Future 182 Design Costs 183 Manufacturing Costs 184 Evolution of the Semiconductor Industry 188 1960s–1980s: Fully Integrated Semiconductor Companies 188 1980s–2000: IDM + Fabless Design + Pure-Play Foundry 188 2000–Today: Fabless Design Companies + Foundries + IDM Stragglers + System Company In-House Design 190 Fabs vs. Fabless Design – The Case Against IDMs 191 Industry Outlook 194 1. Cyclical Revenues and High Volatility 195 2. High R&D and Capital Investment 196 3. High Compensation and Positive Productivity Growth 197 4. Long-Term Profitability 198 5. High Consolidation 200 US vs. International Semiconductor Market 204 COVID-19 and the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain 210 Chinese Competition 214 Chapter Nine Summary 216 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 217 Chapter 10: The Future of Semiconductors and Electronic Systems 218 Prolonging Moore’s Law – Sustaining Technologies 219 Overcoming Moore’s Law – New Technologies 223 Chapter Ten Summary 228 Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test) 229 Conclusion 231 Appendix 232 OSI Reference Model 232 Semiconductor M&A Agreement Announcements – Details and Sources 235 Sources - Text 238 Sources – Illustrations 257 Glossary 265 Index 297