Teaching Fundamentals of Microelectronic Technology Using Test Chip

In this work, we present an innovative approach to provide training to undergraduate and postgraduate students in the area of microelectronics technology through test chip design, fabrication and testing. A large number of academic institutions across the world do not have device fabrication facilities at their disposal. In such cases, imparting even basic training to the students in the area of microelectronics technology is severely restricted. In the work presented here, a test chip, based on a generic bipolar process, has been designed and fabricated. The test chip contains various test structures through which process parameters (such as sheet resistance of diffused layers, contact resistance etc.) can be measured. In addition, the chip has a few diodes and bipolar junction transistors of different designs and dimensions. The devices were packaged in a standard integrated circuit header but with a transparent cover to enable optical viewing. The devices and test structures were characterized and the measured parameters were correlated with the processing parameters. The electrical measurement on these structures together with processes used in fabrication and the visual observation under an optical microscope is helpful to students in developing better understanding of the intricacies of device fabrication.