Successful career in semiconductor industry needs a detailed understanding of the relevant fundamentals and critical knowledge of the below domains
1. Fundamentals of Semiconductors
• Semiconductor materials (Si, Ge, GaAs, SiC, GaN, etc.)
• Band theory, energy gaps, and carrier dynamics
• Doping and impurity control
• P-N junction theory and device physics
⸻
2. Semiconductor Devices
• Discrete devices: Diodes, BJTs, MOSFETs, IGBTs
• Power devices: SiC MOSFETs, GaN HEMTs
• Memory devices: SRAM, DRAM, Flash, MRAM, RRAM, FeRAM
• Optoelectronics: LEDs, lasers, photodiodes, solar cells
• Analog devices: Operational amplifiers, ADC/DAC
⸻
3. IC Design
• Digital design (RTL, synthesis, verification)
• Analog & mixed-signal design
• Low-power design techniques
• Design for testability (DFT)
• SoC architecture and IP integration
⸻
4. Semiconductor Manufacturing
• Wafer fabrication process (front-end & back-end)
• Lithography (DUV, EUV)
• Etching, deposition (CVD, PVD, ALD)
• Doping (ion implantation, diffusion)
• CMP (Chemical Mechanical Planarization)
• Cleanroom protocols
⸻
5. Process Technology
• CMOS scaling and Moore’s Law
• FinFET, GAAFET, and nanosheet transistors
• Advanced packaging (2.5D, 3D IC, chiplets)
• Emerging materials (2D materials, graphene, TMDs)
⸻
6. Testing & Reliability
• Electrical testing (parametric, functional)
• Burn-in and qualification
• Failure analysis techniques
• ESD, latch-up, and radiation hardness
⸻
7. Semiconductor Equipment
• Lithography tools (ASML EUV scanners)
• Deposition and etching equipment
• Metrology and inspection systems
⸻
8. Trends & Emerging Areas
• AI and ML in chip design
• Quantum computing hardware
• Neuromorphic computing
• Photonic integrated circuits
• Semiconductor sustainability & recycling
⸻
9. Industry & Ecosystem
• Foundries (TSMC, Samsung, Intel, GlobalFoundries)
• Fabless companies (Qualcomm, NVIDIA, AMD)
• EDA tool vendors (Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens EDA)
• Supply chain challenges and geopolitics
• Standards (JEDEC, IEEE, SEMI)
Keep watch on the research happening at premier educational institutes across the world!