Getting physical

I started making a living by writing Verilog modules. Shortly after, I moved to physical design, doing Place-and-Route and layout. In the layout domain, it is like playing 2D puzzle. The physic behind it, honestly, I don't need to know much and can still get the job done.

A couple years later, I am doing RC extraction. This requires me to think in cross-section domain. Now I need to think in 3D. And I start to understand how manufacturing affect a chip.

Later on, I moved to work on SPICE level analysis. This time I need to pull back my text book and recall the detail of MOSFET physic. And recently, I am doing DFM and yield analysis. So I deal with the physic on semiconductor process.

Man, it is just getting physical. I wish I had studied harder on physic when I was in high school.

Britney's Guide to Semiconductor Physics