BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced exponential growth. Technological advances in IC materials and design have produced generations of ICs, where each generation has smaller and more complex circuits than the previous generation. In the course of the IC evolution, functional density (e.g., the number of interconnected devices per chip area) has increased while geometry size (e.g., the smallest component or line that can be created using a fabrication process) has decreased. This scaling process provides benefits by increasing production efficiency and lowering associated costs.

