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National News

Semiconductor Industry

작성자HANBAT HERALD  조회수4,798 등록일2023-02-20
Circuit pattern.jpg [3,314.9 KB]

Semiconductor Industry

 

By Lee Seo-jin Cub Reporter, Senior of Material Science and Engineering

          The semiconductor has become a very important part of our modern lives. It is not only used in small devices like smartphones, and laptops, but it is also essential in electric cars and other types of machinery. Moreover, because of the invention of autonomous driving and AI, the importance of the semiconductor is expected to grow. In particular, as Korea’s semiconductor industry currently accounts for 20 percent of all exports, its importance is now being emphasized. 

The dictionary definition of a semiconductor is ‘material that conducts electricity, only under certain special conditions, and it is used to control current.’ The electrical conductivity value of the semiconductor changes, according to the voltage, heat, and wavelength of the light that is applied to it. This value is bigger than the insulator’s electrical conductivity value, and smaller than the conductor’s. According to their uses, there are 2 types of semiconductors: Memory semiconductors and system semiconductors. Memory semiconductors store data, and system semiconductors have information processing functions, so they can perform computation and control. Memory semiconductors account for 20 percent of the total semiconductor market. Samsung and SK Hynix have a very high share in the global market. In the system semiconductor market, Intel, which makes CPU (central processing unit), has the highest share.

Then how are semiconductors made? There are 8 main steps which are known as the “Eight crucial steps to semiconductor manufacturing.”

 

<Eight crucial steps to semiconductor manufacturing>

[Creating the Wafer] The wafer works as a canvas in semiconductors. Also called a disc, it is a thin, glossy slice of a silicon rod that is cut in specific diameters.

[The Oxidation process] A silicon oxide film (SiO2) is made on the surface of the wafer. This layer protects the surface from chemical impurities that might permeate during the next process.

[Circuit pattern] Drawing structures on the wafer, via the photolithography in nano-scale.

[Etching a circuit pattern] The etching process removes any unnecessary materials so that only the desired patterns remain on the exterior. To fabricate such structures, this can be repeated a few hundred times until the layers of thin film material result in a semiconductor chip.

[Deposition, ion implantation] Depositing thin films, and implanting ions, to enable semiconductors to have electrical properties.

[Metal interconnect] Connecting metal wires to the semiconductor circuit to give electrical signals.

[EDS (Electrical Die-Sorting)] Verifying the chips that have reached the desired quality level, using electrical characteristic testing.

[Packaging and package test] Packing and testing the package to safely protect it from the external environment.

As the semiconductor industry is in the spotlight all over the world, at HBNU, students from various departments can jump into the semiconductor industry. Basically, there are many categories, such as electronic engineering, computer engineering, new materials engineering, and mechanical engineering. Related to production, there is Industrial management engineering, and related to etching solutions there is chemical engineering, so you can jump into a wide variety of semiconductor industries from HBNU. Moreover, many universities have also established “semiconductor departments” now. In particular, contracting semiconductor departments have the advantage of guaranteeing future employment.

So, how can undergraduates gain experience in the semiconductor industry? They can enter the lab studying semiconductors, or participate in special semiconductor process education. Types of semiconductor process education are operated by PTA, SEMI, LetYouin, ENGINIC, and ISRC. In addition, there are also ways to obtain various certificates, or enter graduate schools. To gain great experience, it is better to make a plan to participate in advance. If you are hoping to get a job at a large company, it is better to prepare language scores, like OPIC and TOEIC Speaking, or gain job related experience, before graduation.

In July 2022, the government announced a plan to train 150,000 people in semiconductor related skills over the next 10 years, and they announced a plan to increase the number of semiconductor-related departments by about 5,700. Due to the previously mentioned reasons, the future for the semiconductor industry in Korea is looking bright. Having read this article, you now have a good understanding of  semiconductors, so why not take the opportunity to jump into this industry?