4. MOS process and device architectures

Often, the same technology modules can be used in both MOS and BiCMOS (mixed technology: bipolar integrated with CMOS) technologies. The set of modules and their sequence in the manufacturing process constitute what is known as the architecture of a technology. In describing the architecture, we will analyze the technological modules, but we will not go down to the level of chemical recipes, material problems and technological equipment relating to the manufacture of these modules; this is outside the scope of this article.

Sometimes we also talk about the architecture of the transistor; in this context, the word architecture has a meaning quite equivalent to what is implied by architecture when we talk about buildings or constructions. For a building, the architecture of the roof or windows defines its shape, proportions, etc.; for a transistor, the architecture...