Materials Science and the Evolution of Integrated Circuit Processing.

The explosion in our capability to transmit and process information is possible because of the continued improvement in cost and performance of integrated circuits. Although the minimum lithographic feature size is the processing parameter often tracked in the evolution of the technology, much of the innovation that characterizes his progress has been achieved by solving problems familiar to materials scientists. In this discussion, the path from discrete devices to megabit memory technologies will be outlined. The evolution in fabrication processes will highlight the role of materials in the process of this remarkable technology.