It all depends on what you are trying to do. Some good analog parts use a BiCMOS process with both BJTs and FETs, which is exotic and complicated. The margins o

It all depends on what you are trying to do. Some good analog parts use a BiCMOS process with both BJTs and FETs, which is exotic and complicated. The margins of any process are usually complicated, though. Just look at how many billions it takes to develop a cutting edge digital process. In my opninion it would be easier to do interesting analog parts in a home lab than an interesting digital part. Making an opamp would be easier than a processor and more interesting than an XOR gate (around same # of transistors). Also, you can do some analog stuff with only NMOS or PMOS, which simplifies things by at least 50% compared to CMOS. For a home lab, you care about process and characterization, but variation isn't as much of a concern because you won't be making that many. Also, just look at the development of the semiconductor industry. Early factories (making analog parts) didn't look that much different from what you could cobble together in a garage. By the time they were doing integrated processors, things were a lot more high-tech.