Semiconductor Manufacturing in IBM, 1957 to the Present: A Perspective

Abstract

Semiconductor Manufacturing in \BW\, 1957 to the Present: A PerspectiveOver the past twenty-five years we have witnessed the transition from germanium-based, individual transistors in their hermetically sealed enclosures to VLSI silicon devices interconnected in modular packages containing more than 50 000 logic circuits or as many as 500 000 bits of random-access memory. During this progression, manufacturing facilities producing these modern products have become more complex and technologically more sophisticated than those of any other industry. This review traces these fast-moving changes as they have occurred in IBM, emphasizing the continuous expansion of manufacturing skills and disciplines and how these, in turn, have contributed to the development of today's products and their respective manufacturing systems. 43

MOS Technology, 1963-1974: A Dozen Crucial Years

“…Other important work on the physics and chemistry of MOS devices done by IBM included an examination of the important role of annealing in enhancing the surface conduction of MOS devices, and a demonstration of the advantages of using silicon with a crystal orientation (100) for making MOS devices. 7 In spite of all the work IBM Research did on MOS technology, it faced an inherent difficulty in getting the rest of the company interested in the technology. This lack of interest occurred because MOS transistors were inherently much slower than bipolar transistors in the 1960s, given the gate lengths then achievable.…”