An important concept when working with materials is how to represent their properties. Phase diagrams are often used for this. I have found watching lectures to be an easier way of getting into a field as new (to me) as microfabrication. This Intro to Phase Diagrams {Texas A&M: Intro to Materials} video, for example, was an easier introduction to the topic than the notes in the microfabrication book I was reading.
This video was also my first introduction to the types of issues studied in the materials science space. The next topic in the microfabrication book I was reading was crystallography. I wanted to get an overview of the area before delving into the microfabrication aspect of crystallography. A YouTube search led me to this Lecture – Intro to Crystallography from my alma mater (interestingly, from the materials science department again)!
After watching these videos, I did a quick search for material science in the Amazon books section, hoping to see the types of topics people study in this field. Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction looks like a great candidate (cost aside)! Looks like this is an area folks in semiconductor manufacturing need to have a handle on… More to come on crystallography as it pertains to semiconductors.
Having used the Macbook Pro M1 for a couple of months now, I have been thoroughly impressed with its performance. Combining this with all the news about the chip shortage, my curiosity about microchips and chip manufacturing has been piqued. Here is an interesting video I found about the M1 chip that seemed like a decent tour of the processor landscape, from how the ARM project was started, the basics of RISC vs CISC, Intel passing on the opportunity to fabricate iPhone chips, Apple becoming the biggest ARM licensee so that they can design their own chips, and so on. Highly recommended video!
What has TSMC, who is manufacturing these advanced chips, up to these days? CNBC reviews the massive investments they are making to address the chip shortage and stay competitive.
I went in search of information about how chips are made. This video by Infineon is one of the more informative I’ve seen. The breakdown of the process (especially how a transistor works) is easy to understand. Great overview!