Semicon-World

Chandrayaan 3 was a landmark moment for Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). It showcased India's space prowess and demonstrated that space missions can be economical. In 2020, the mission was estimated around 75 million USD.  For comparison, Avengers Endgame spent around 200 million USD in just marketing . A moon mission cost lesser than a big budget superhero movie. As a result of this success, the spotlight has fallen on government laboratories. Keeping in line with the theme of this blog, we shall talk about semiconductor devices used in this mission; the one that has gained the most notoriety is the VIKRAM3201 32 bit processor used in the launch vehicle. Figure 1: VIKRAM3201 processor (Reference: SCL ) Figure 2: Chandrayaan 3 Lander (Reference: Scientific American ) This processor is a triumph of India's semiconductor capabilities. Designed by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thumba, and fabricated in Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Mohali, it is a fully indigen...

Globalization has shaped our world and has created what we term as modern life. The import-export of goods and services across borders allow countries to fulfil their basic needs like food and fuel. Yet what happens when this balance is broken? The recent United States of America and Iran conflict is a textbook example. The blockade of one small channel of water called the Strait of Hormuz managed to raise oil prices by 20%. LPG shortage was felt the world over with households not receiving gas for cooking food. Hotels and restaurants had to stop serving some items or close down altogether. Another little industry being caught in the crossfire was the semiconductor industry, the same industry producing your mobile phones, laptops, televisions, solar panels, and all your day-to-day appliances. To begin with, let us be clear about the difference between LNG and LPG. Liquefied natural gas is methane stored in cryogenic conditions; the container is cooled to 167 degrees Celsius. Liquefied ...

Beginner's introduction to etching. To lay underground cables, pipes, building foundations, and other such structures, we need to dig the ground up and then lay them below the surface. A loose connection during laying can mean either digging up the place again, or in the case of building foundation, keep reinforcing the structure to keep it from falling. A well dug-in pipe or a cable can last for a very long time. A strong foundation makes for a sturdy building. Etching aids in the formation of lasting layers of a semiconductor device. Figure 1: Location of etching in process flow. Etching is the process of removing unwanted material from the substrate. There are some portions that need insulation in a conductive layer and some places which may require conductive material deposited into an insulating layer. Removing that part and subsequently depositing the required material is where it finds its use. For all of our life on this planet, you can only exist in two states: wet or d...

Starter's first deposition. Construction is something that everyone of you has witnessed time and time again. Most of these buildings are made of brick and concrete. Concrete acts as the adhesive, joining the bricks together. Deposition is the construction of semiconductor manufacturing. Basic understanding of it is constructing thin films by laying atoms on a substrate. Atoms are the bricks and the bond between the atoms is the concrete. Figure 1: Location of deposition in the process flow. This topic is an absolute mammoth to cover due to the number of techniques and materials that can be laid on top of one another in such a minuscule scale. The huge range and properties of materials, whether they be elements or compounds, calls for multiple processing procedures. One technique may work for one material and may completely fail for the other one just due to a difference in melting point. There are three basic deposition principles: physical deposition, chemical deposition, and...

Chippy-chip-chips, a very simple word to describe what is probably the single greatest interdisciplinary scientific and engineering accomplishment till date. These small things that seem like toys or actual potato chips are responsible for around, let’s see here… I would like you to just think what you are reading this post on. If you don’t mind, please open the app that records your screen time, or maybe tell me the last time you might have paid in cash, I guess if you deal in black money that shouldn’t be a problem, but for a poor student like me I have trouble thinking the last time I transacted using printed currency. Figure 1: Basic overview of various manufacturing components  Reference: Semicon Talk on YouTube Semiconductors dictate your life, around 50 percent of your day is occupied by electronic devices because it is just so convenient. I would like to eat something new, just order it, or if you feel creative enough, look up a recipe. I need ingredients for the recipe, or...

Processors, 2nm, RAM, memory, and especially VLSI are the buzzwords used in every news article, every LinkedIn post, every CV, and is currently ringing in everyone’s head. This is the new IT craze. Everyone is opting for courses which focus on designing these devices after seeing the amount of compensation industry giants like Nvidia, Qualcomm, AMD, Samsung, and others are providing. Yet have we thought what goes into powering these devices?  Figure 1: A power MOSFET (IRFZ44N) (left) and a Central Processing Unit (right) You must have noticed a small thing connected to every electrical appliance called a plug. It connects to a socket which is connected to the main power supply of your house. It provides 240V RMS, 50 Hz AC supply. Now what I have just written may seem like a foreign language to some of you so let us decode it. Figure 2: MATLAB plot of AC voltage Alternating current (AC) is a form of power transmission where electrons do not flow in one direction but oscillate ...