VLSI CAT2 Solved
VLSI CAT2 Solved
VLSI CAT2 Solved
2ans-
A) In the IC industry, 110 and 111 are crystallographic planes or directions in
a silicon wafer. These planes and directions are identified by their Miller
indices, which are a set of three integers that define the orientation of the
planes or directions relative to the crystal lattice.
The primary flat of the (100) wafer is parallel to the direction, which is
exactly the x-axis. For the (111) silicon wafer, the orientation is vertical to
the crystal surface of this wafer.
B) Yes, the buried layer is required in the fabrication of BJTs. The buried
layer is a region of high donor concentration that provides a low resistance
path for the flow of current. It also confines the current to a narrow active region, increasing the efficiency of the VCL.
The buried layer has several functions, including:
Improving the reliability of the transistor and the entire IC by reducing the likelihood of latch-up and other reliability issues
Reducing the collector resistance of the bipolar device, which increases the immunity to latchup
Improving the packing density by reducing the collector-collector spacing of the bipolar devices
Providing a reasonable breakdown voltage
The buried layer is also useful in fabricating discrete devices, such as diodes, transistors, and photodetectors.
C) Body effect occurs when the body or substrate of the transistor is not biased at the same level as that of the source.
And this voltage difference between source and bulk leads to an increase or decrease of the threshold voltage.
The body effect is approximately equal to the change in the source-bulk voltage.
D) Sheet resistance is a measure of the electrical resistance of a thin film of material per unit area. It's also known as surface
resistance or surface resistivity.
E)
F) Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (DIBL) is a short-channel effect in MOSFETs. It occurs when the drain voltage is increased,
which causes the potential barrier in the channel to decrease.
DIBL is prominent in ultra-scaled MOSFETs with a channel length less than 100 nm. It can cause:
A reduction in the threshold voltage of the transistor at higher drain voltages
An increase in the subthreshold leakage at higher drain voltage
A reduction in the overall channel length
DIBL can be avoided by:
Structural changes in the MOSFET design, such as Finfets and Nanowires
SoT technology
High k dielectric materials for oxide
3. Ans.
4.
Different ways to execute an inverter logic (in diagrams), instead of a CMOS inverter.
4. Ans Earth is in a constant state of motion, and various vibrations, including seismic activity, can impact the fabrication process
in some situations. Earthquake tremors, depending on their magnitude and proximity to the fabrication facility, can cause
equipment in a semiconductor fabrication facility to shake, potentially leading to physical damage or misalignment of sensitive
and precise machinery. This can result in a need for costly repairs and downtime.
Following the proper sequence of MOSFET fabrication steps is crucial to ensure the reliability and functionality of the device.
Any deviations from the standard process can lead to various issues, including gate oxide damage, short circuits, threshold
voltage shifts, and channel length variations, which can affect the device's performance and electrical characteristics.
If you deviate from this standard sequence, you can encounter various problems, including:
Gate Oxide Damage: If you fabricate the source and drain regions before the gate, there's a risk of damaging the gate oxide
during subsequent processing steps. This can result in leakage current or poor gate control, as the gate oxide's insulating
properties may be compromised.
Short Circuits: If the source and drain regions are not properly isolated by the gate oxide, you can create electrical short circuits
between them, rendering the MOSFET non-functional.
Threshold Voltage Shift: The order of fabrication can affect the electrical characteristics of the MOSFET. If you form the source
and drain regions before the gate, the threshold voltage of the MOSFET may shift from its intended value.
Channel Length Variation: The order of fabrication can also influence the effective channel length of the transistor, which is
critical for device performance. Deviations from the standard process can result in inconsistent channel lengths, leading to
variations in device behavior and performance.
5. Ans.
6 ans.
7 ANS.
For falling delay ,best case occur when all 3 nmos are ON because load
capacitor can discharge through 3 nmos hence its faster;and worst case
when only one nmos is ON because load capacitor has only 1 nmos to
discharege to its takes longer time.
1. Logic Effort:
Logic effort is a metric used to evaluate the performance of a digital gate or a combination of gates within an integrated circuit.
It is a dimensionless number that characterizes the relative delay and drive strength of a gate. Logic effort is defined as the ratio
of the input capacitance of a gate to the equivalent input capacitance of an inverter with the same delay. In other words, it
quantifies how many times the input capacitance of the gate is compared to an inverter, where an inverter is chosen as a
reference because it has the fastest possible delay for a given input capacitance.
Here, C_gate is the input capacitance of the gate in question, and C_inverter is the input capacitance of an inverter with the
same delay. Logic effort helps designers select gates that provide the desired performance while minimizing power consumption
and area.
2. Path Effort:
Path effort is an extension of logic effort and is used to assess the performance of a combination of gates along a signal path or a
logic path in a digital circuit. It takes into account the logic effort of each gate in the path and their interconnections. Path effort
is a measure of the overall delay in a logic path and is useful in optimizing critical paths within a design.
Where LE_i is the logic effort of each gate in the path, and the product (∏) is taken over all gates in the path. Path effort helps
designers identify and optimize critical paths in the design to meet timing requirements.
3. Parasitic Delay:
Parasitic delay refers to the additional delay introduced in an integrated circuit due to parasitic components such as resistors,
capacitors, and inductors present in the interconnects and the transistors themselves. These parasitic components are inherent
to the fabrication process and can significantly impact the performance of the circuit.
a. Resistance Delay: This is caused by the resistance of the metal interconnects and the transistor's channel resistance. As
current flows through these resistive elements, it encounters resistance, which leads to a voltage drop and a delay in signal
propagation.
b. Capacitance Delay: This is caused by the parasitic capacitance of metal lines and the gate capacitance of transistors.
Capacitance slows down the charging and discharging of nodes, increasing the delay.
Designers must account for parasitic delay in their IC designs to ensure that circuits meet their timing requirements. Techniques
like wire sizing, shielding, and careful placement of critical paths can be used to mitigate the effects of parasitic delay.
In summary, logic effort and path effort are used to evaluate the performance of gates and logic paths in ICs, while parasitic
delay accounts for the additional delay introduced by parasitic components in the fabrication process. These concepts are crucial
for optimizing the speed and power consumption of integrated circuits.