Nand vs. NOR - how does NAND actually work (on a microscropic level)?

Question

Okay, I have a bad confession. A couple months ago, I finally got the electronics technician position I put in for. I got it because I am a hard working, positive, enthusiastic, intelligent, high achiever etc. at work. I also had credit for several electronics courses and an unrelated university degree. The catch is, while I received good grades in the required classes, I really didn't ever get it. I didn't learn this stuff. I understand all the processes used to create an I.C. for a NAND chip/wafer and whatnot, but I really can't grasp how it all works. I check defects using SEMs and other measurement tools, yet I really just don't get it. Can anyone give me a crash course on NAND that I could teach to others that I will soon need to mentor?? Thanks : )..

Now I will probably come off sounding cocky, but I am aware of my high confidence level and amazing ability to function as a human, but this doesn’t help with my lack of understanding about NAND. I guess what is also getting to me is that last week a guy was explaining some new stuff on one of the measurement tools, talking about nova slams and whatnot, and I remember constantly staring blankly at him. I kept having to ask what this term meant and that concept etc. That was kind of new to me - I usually have a decent background or foundation to build on, but this time I just couldn’t follow (it could have been his presentation/teaching skills?).

But still how? If I blow the image up on the screen to a 15x magnification or 300x - I just don’t get it. How can there be that many little I.C.’s on a wafer or a chip or what the heck?? J

Answer 1

Your verbal skills, your ability to articulate and to frame context, and your self-confidence are remarkable. You sound like a very senior level engineer or an esquire manager. And you already have a lot of exposure to the concepts and hands on stuff even with an expensive SEM. MBAs judging each other by the size of the office, engineers by the tools. You are among the most well tooled. You really don't need a crash course. You need a kind of anxiety stress to make you care more about the detail level stuff.

Answer 2

When I get in these situations I always just admit that I don't really understand the concept and ask if they could provide a simple explanation to help me understand it. Most engineers love to talk about their work, and I have very rarely had any that won't take the time to help me understand the principals. You can't know everything there is to learn in this field, especially silicon structures on ICs, and its OK to admit that. I have learned much more by asking "stupid questions" that I ever did in school.