By Raj Jammy, Director of Front End Processes, SEMATECH, and SST Editorial Advisory Board member

The technological revolution affecting all spheres of our lives over the past half-century is largely due to the advent and pervasive adoption of semiconductor technology. The success of semiconductor technology has been due to our choice of semiconductor material, typically silicon, and the ability to form high-quality insulating layers from silicon. The manufacturing methods we have used to exploit this ability are fundamental to the rapid progress our industry has witnessed over the past few decades.

Silicon dioxide, the most important dielectric