SP 2005 Lecture08 CIM

How to Write an IEEE Letter
3.155J/6.152J Spring 2005

Writing Instructor:
Thea Singer
1
Microelectronics Letters Journals
IEEE Electron Device Letters

Applied Physics Letters
Available online at libraries.mit.edu

Click on VERA
(Virtual Electronic Resource Access)
2
Lab Report Letter (Ma, et al.)
~10 pages 3 pages
Title Page Title, name, email, date, lab group

Abstract Abstract
Introduction Introduction (includes Theory)
Theory
Methods Experiment
Results Results & Discussion
Discussion
Conclusion Conclusion
References References (IEEE style)
3
The audience for your letter are readers who
are familiar with microelectronics processing
(But not necessarily specialists in the field)
Title: Specific, key terms, active

Use of Capacitance-Voltage Measurements for
the characterization of a new poly-gate MOS process
Abstract:
“The abstract should be limited to 50–200 words and should
concisely state what was done, how it was done, principal
results, and their significance. The abstract will appear later in
various abstracts journals and should contain the most critical
information in the paper.”
—IEEE Information for Authors
4
The Introduction provides the context for your
research and a clear purpose statement
Background/Context: Identify gap in current state of the field
Challenge: Find the gap in the current research that Ma presents

in your sample article.
Purpose* of this work:

“In this work, we will show that 900 ~ 950°C low-temperature
two-step furnace N2O anneal [14] can effectively prevent boron
diffusion from P+ poly gates into Si substrate.”
* Purpose of your letter is to evaluate fabrication process
5
The Experiment = Methods
• Explains what was done and why

• Past tense without reference to self (“I” or “we”)
• You may give overview and use references for details,
but describe ways process deviated from that in
references.
“...Gate oxides were first grown at 850°C in dry O2 and

then annealed in N2O. Two splits of oxide thickness
were chosen each with 5 N2O anneal conditions, as
listed in Table 1. Ten-min anneals in N2 followed both
the initial oxidation and subsequent N2O annealing
steps….” (Ma, et al)
6
The Results & Discussion explain your
evaluation of the fabrication process
Evaluate the process through a discussion of your findings, including:
What are the measured vs. expected values?

What does the difference tell you about the process?
What do the results suggest?
• Use quantitative evidence to support your claims.

• May not need all results, but discuss unexpected results.
• Make this section more than an error analysis!
7
The Conclusion summarizes the process
“In conclusion, low-temperature nitrided oxides

obtained by two-step N2O anneal have been
shown to be a good barrier to boron penetration.
Significantly, these N2O-annealed oxides can
avoid the high-density electron trapping problem
common in NH3-nitrided oxides and requires only
a low thermal budget.” (Ma, et al)
8
Tables and Figures should be able to “stand
alone” for readers who skim
• Use clear labels: define variables and give units of measure.
• Use captions to direct audience to main point of visual.
• Items to be compared should be placed near each other
• Remove unnecessary details, e.g., grid lines
Fig. 2. Average Normal Capacitance as a function of applied Voltage Cacc used in

tox calculation, CFB used in QF calculation and Cmin used in ND calculation.
Courtesy of R.A. Dahl 9
Appendices do not need to be referenced in
the body of the Letter
Appendix A: Results
Graphs showing the raw data (I-V and C-V curves)
A table summarizing all measured & calculated parameters for
easy comparison. See course slides for the data to include.
Appendix B: Calculations
Show how you obtained the calculated results in Appendix A.
10
Structure sentences to convey correct meaning
Challenge
Weak: “The reason the film was thinner than expected was
because…”
Weak: “The annealing step caused the resistivity to decrease.”
11
Structure sentences to convey correct meaning
Challenge
Weak: “The reason the film was thinner than expected was
because…”
Better: “The film was thinner than expected because…”
Weak: “The annealing step caused the resistivity to decrease.”

Better: “Annealing decreased the resistivity.”
12
Writing Help
“The Science of Scientific Writing” by Gopen & Swan
A Google search will generate many hits.
The Writing Center

web.mit.edu/writing
The Mayfield Handbook of Scientific and Technical Writing

https://web.mit.edu/course/21/21.guide/www/home.html
3.155J/6.152J Writing Tutors

Mya Poe myapoe@mit.edu
Thea Singer thea.singer@comcast.net
13

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How to Write an IEEE Letter

3.155J/6.152J Spring 2005

IEEE Electron Device Letters

Available online at libraries.mit.edu

Title Page Title, name, email, date, lab group

Title: Specific, key terms, active

Background/Context: Identify gap in current state of the field

Challenge: Find the gap in the current research that Ma presents

Purpose* of this work:

* Purpose of your letter is to evaluate fabrication process

• Explains what was done and why

“...Gate oxides were first grown at 850°C in dry O2 and

Evaluate the process through a discussion of your findings, including:

What are the measured vs. expected values?

• Use quantitative evidence to support your claims.

“In conclusion, low-temperature nitrided oxides

Fig. 2. Average Normal Capacitance as a function of applied Voltage Cacc used in

Weak: “The annealing step caused the resistivity to decrease.”

Weak: “The annealing step caused the resistivity to decrease.”

The Writing Center

The Mayfield Handbook of Scientific and Technical Writing

3.155J/6.152J Writing Tutors

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