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

✍ Scribed by Corey Richard

• Publisher: Apress
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 305
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents
About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter 1: Semiconductor Basics
Electricity and Conductivity
Silicon – The Crucial Semiconductor
A Quick Semiconductor History
Semiconductor Value Chain – Our Roadmap
Performance, Power, Area, and Cost (PPAC)
Who Uses Semiconductors?
Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 2: Circuit Building Blocks
Discrete Components – The Building Blocks of Circuits
Transistors
Transistor Structure
How Transistors Work
How Transistors Work – A Water Analogy
FinFET vs. MOSFET Transistors
CMOS
How Transistors Are Used
Logic Gates
Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 3: Building a System
Different Levels of Electronics – How the System Fits Together
Integrated Circuit Design Flow
The Design Process
EDA Tools
Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 4: Semiconductor Manufacturing
Manufacturing Overview
Front-End Manufacturing
Cycling – Pre- and Post-Metal
Wafer Probing, Yield, and Failure Analysis
Back-End Manufacturing
Assembly and Test
Semiconductor Equipment
Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 5: Tying the  System Together
What Is a System?
Input/Output (I/O)
IC Packaging
Signal Integrity
Bus Interfaces
Power Flow in Electronic Systems
Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 6: Common Circuits and System Components
Digital vs. Analog
Common System Components – The SIA Framework
Micro Components
Microprocessors and Microcontrollers
Digital Signal Processors (DSP)
Micro Component Market Summary
Logic
Special Purpose Logic
Central Processing Unit
Graphics Processing Units
ASICs vs. FPGAs
ASIC or FPGA – Which to Choose?
System on Chip
Logic Market Summary
Memory
Memory Stack
Volatile Memory
Non-Volatile Memory
Primary Non-Volatile Memory
Secondary Memory (HDD vs. SSD)
Stacked Die Memory (HBM vs. HMC)
Memory Market Summary
Optoelectronics, Sensors and Actuators, Discrete Components (OSD)
Optoelectronics
Sensors and Actuators
MEMS
Discrete Components
Discrete Components vs. Power Management ICs (PMIC)
Optoelectronics, Sensors and Actuators, and Discrete Components Market Summary
Analog Components
General Purpose Analog ICs vs. ASSPs
Analog Component Market Summary
Signal Processing Systems – Putting Components Together
Chapter Six Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 7: RF and Wireless Technologies
RF and Wireless
RF Signals and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
RFIC – Transmitters and Receivers
The OSI Reference Model
RF and Wireless – The Big Picture
Broadcasting and Frequency Regulation
Digital Signal Processing
TDMA and CDMA
1G to 5G(eneration) – An Evolution
Wireless Communication and Cloud Computing
Chapter Seven Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 8: System Architecture and Integration
Macroarchitecture vs. Microarchitecture
Common Chip Architectures
Von Neumann Architecture vs. Harvard Architecture
Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) vs. Microarchitecture
Instruction Pipelining and Processor Performance
CISC vs. RISC
Choosing an ISA
Heterogeneous vs. Monolithic Integration – From PCBs to SoCs
Chapter Eight Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 9: The Semiconductor Industry – Past, Present, and Future
Design Costs
Manufacturing Costs
Evolution of the Semiconductor Industry
1960s–1980s: Fully Integrated Semiconductor Companies
1980s–2000: IDM + Fabless Design + Pure-Play Foundry
2000–Today: Fabless Design Companies + Foundries + IDM Stragglers + System Company In-House Design
Fabs vs. Fabless Design – The Case Against IDMs
Industry Outlook
1. Cyclical Revenues and High Volatility
2. High R&D and Capital Investment
3. High Compensation and Positive Productivity Growth
4. Long-Term Profitability
5. High Consolidation
US vs. International Semiconductor Market
COVID-19 and the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain
Chinese Competition
Chapter Nine Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Chapter 10: The Future of  Semiconductors and Electronic Systems
Prolonging Moore’s Law – Sustaining Technologies
Overcoming Moore’s Law – New Technologies
Chapter Ten Summary
Your Personal SAT (Semiconductor Awareness Test)
Conclusion
Appendix
OSI Reference Model
Semiconductor M&A Agreement Announcements – Details and Sources
Sources - Text
Sources – Illustrations
Glossary
Index