EE 131. Semiconductor Electronics
Catalog Description: The principles of solid-state electronics. Review of quantum-mechanics, crystal structures, lattice vibrations, band theory, electrons and holes, diffusion and drift, recombination, high-field phenomena, optical effects, device applications. Several one-hour minilabs to be done in pairs.
Prerequisites: EE 130 (may be taken concurrently).
Course objectives: To acquaint the student with semiconductor fundamentals with which to understand and utilize a variety of semiconductor and other solid state materials and devices.
- Introduction, atomic structure, quantum mechanics of electrons
- Basic free electron theory, statistical mechanics.
- States of matter, bonding of atoms crystals and crystal symmetry, Lattice types, crystal defects, physical properties.
- Reciprocal Lattice, Bragg Scattering, Lattice dynamics, Phonons, Coupled Oscillators.
- Phase and group velocity, waves in crystals. Energy bands in solids, metals and insulators. Fermi levels and carrier concentrations.
- Semiconducting materials, Silicon and GaAs examples, Band structure of semiconducting materials, valence and conduction band model of semiconductors.
- Defects, dopants and traps, equilibrium characteristics of doped semiconductors
- Carrier transport, drift, mobility, conductivity, diffusion, the Hall effect
- The Einstein relations, equilibrium across interfaces, ohmic and rectifying junctions.
- Excess carriers in semiconductors, injection, recombination, quasi-Fermi levels
- Transport and continuity equations, and the basic equations for semiconductor devices
- P-N junctions, abrupt, linear. Modeling semiconductor devices.
- Tunneling in semiconductors, Zener and avalanche breakdown in diodes
- Ohmic contacts, tunnel diodes and Schottky barrier diodes, heterojunctions
- MOS devices, interface between silicon and silicon dioxide, transistors and charge coupled devices, structures and modes
- High mobility devices, short-channel effects, quantum tunneling effects and devices, ballistic effects