### 3.1.3 Summary to: 3.1 Thin Films - General

| Semiconductor technology is almost synonymous with thin film technology |  |
|  | A thin film is adhering to a substrate and (at least orginally) continous. |
|  | Thin films may still be found in the product or may have been "sacrificed" during the making of the product. |
|  | An IC is a study of thin films in and on the Si substrate. |
|  | The same is true for pretty much every semiconductor product. |
| Thin always means "thin" relative to some intrinsic (internal) length scale. Examples are: |  |
Dimensions dx, y, z Grain size dgrain Lattice constants a0 l radiation (light, IR, UV) Absorption depths Mean free path lengths. Diffusion length | SCR width dSCR Debye length dDebye Critical thickness dcrit for electrical break down Critical thickness dtu for tunneling
|  | Structural length scales |
|  | Wavelength and interaction length scales |
|  | Transport parameter length scales |
|  | Electrical scales |
| There are many thin film applications outside of semiconductor technolgy: |  |
|  | Optical, electrical, chemical, mechanical, magnetical technologies use thin films |  |
Exercise 3.1-1
All Questions to 3.1

© H. Föll (Semiconductor Technology - Script)