ECE1002: Semiconductor

Devices and Circuits

Text Book:

Adel S. Sedra, Kenneth C. Smith & Arun N. Chandorkar, Microelectronic

Theory and Applications, 5/ e, Reprint 2013.

B G.Streetman and S.Banerjee, “Solid State Electronic Education, 7 edition

th

Delhi, 2015.

Ref. Books:

Jacob Millman, Christos C Halkias and Satyabrata Jit, “Electronic devices

and circuits” Tata Mc Graw Hill 4th edition, 2015.

D. A. Neamen, ‘Microelectronics Circuit Analysis and Design’, 4 / e 2009

 Outline
Module:1 Semiconductor Fundamentals

Module:2 PN Junction diodes: P-N junction Diode, Zener diode, Tunnel diode,
LED, OLED, Varactor diode and Photo Diode

Module:3 Diode Circuits : DC & AC Analysis

Module:4 Diode Applications : Rectifier circuits, Clipper and Clamper circuits,

Photodiode and LED circuits
Module:5 Transistors- Device Perspective: Working and Chara. of BJT & FET
Module:6 Transistors- Circuits Perspective:
DC Analysis of BJT & FET, Configurations
Module:7 Applications of MOSFETs
Module:8 Contemporary topics
 Grading Policy L T P

3 0 2 0 4
J C

THEORY (3 credits, 3hrs. per week)

LAB (1credit, 2hrs per week)

Name of Exam Weigtage

CAT1 15

CAT2 (open book) 15

Digital Assignments & Quiz 30

FAT 40
 Module:1

Semiconductor Fundamentals

Dr. B. Bindu,
Associate Professor,
SENSE
 Outline

Energy bands, Fermi level

Direct and indirect band gap, electrons and holes

Doping, intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors

Generation, recombination and injection of carriers

Drift and Diffusion of carriers

Basic governing equations in semiconductors

Transport Equations
 Formation of Energy Bands
When two atoms are completely isolated from eachother, there
is no interation of electron wave functions between them and
they have identical electronic structures.

When the spacing between two atoms become smaller, electron

wave functions begin to overlap.

Pauli exclusion principle says that no two electrons have the

same quantum state, so there is splitting of discrete energy
levels.

In solids, many atoms are brought together, so the split energy

levels form continuous bands of energies (energy bands).
 Energy Bands
Metal
Insulator Semiconductor

Band structure at 0K
 Direct & Indirect Semiconductor
Direct Semiconductor Indirect Semiconductor

Needs
momentum
change

Ex: GaAs, GaN -> emits light Ex: Si, Ge -> emits heat
 Intrinsic Semiconductors
Ideally 100% pure material

Elemental semiconductors
• Silicon (Si)
– Most common semiconductor used today
• Germanium (Ge)
– First semiconductor used in p-n diodes

Compound semiconductors
• Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
 Silicon (Si)

Atomic No. 14

Covalent bonding of one Si atom with four other Si atoms to

form tetrahedral unit cell.
Valence electrons available at edge of crystal to bond to
additional Si atoms.
 Effect of Temperature

At 0K, no bonds are broken. As temperature increases, a bond can

break, releasing a valence electron and
Si is an insulator. leaving a broken bond (hole).
Current can flow.
n=p = ni
Movement of Holes

A valence electron in a
nearby bond can move
to fill the broken bond,
making it appear as if the
‘hole’ shifted locations.
 Energy Band Diagram

Ev – Maximum energy of a valence electron or hole

Ec – Minimum energy of a free electron
Eg – Energy required to break the covalent bond
 Energy Band Diagram: Intrinsic
Semiconductor

Ei = (EC+EV)/2

Intrinsic level, Ei

n=p=ni

EF is at the middle of energy gap (EF = Ei)

Intrinsic Carrier Concentration
−E
g
3/ 2 2 kT
ni =BT e
B – coefficient related to specific semiconductor
T – temperature in Kelvin
Eg – semiconductor bandgap energy
k – Boltzmann’s constant

10 −3
ni (Si,300 K )=1. 5 x10 cm
ni versus temperature
 Extrinsic Semiconductors
Impurity atoms replace some of the atoms in
crystal

Column V atoms in Si are called donor impurities.

Column III in Si atoms are called acceptor impurities.

 Phosphorous – Donor Impurity in Si
N-type semiconductor

Phosphorous (P) (or Arsenic) replaces a Si atom and forms four covalent
bonds with other Si atoms.
The fifth outer shell electron of P is easily freed to become a conduction
band electron, adding to the number of electrons available to conduct
current.
 Boron – Acceptor Impurity in Si
P-type semiconductor

Boron (B) replaces a Si atom and forms only three covalent bonds with
other Si atoms.
The missing covalent bond is a hole, which can begin to move through
the crystal when a valence electron from another Si atom is taken to form
the fourth B-Si bond.
 Electron and Hole Concentrations
n = electron concentration 2
p = hole concentration ni =n⋅p
n-type: 2
n = ND, the donor concentration p=ni / N D
p-type:
2
p = NA, the acceptor concentration n=ni / N A
 Fermi Level
Electrons in solids obey Fermi Dirac Statistics.

EF is the Fermi Level

The function f(E) gives the probability that an available energy state E is
occupied by an electron at an absolute temperature T.
At 0K, all the states below EF are filled and above EF are empty. As T

increases, more states above EF will be filled.

 Electron and holes, donors and acceptors
Intrinsic Si n-type Si p-type Si

Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si

- +
Si Si Si Si P+ Si Si B- - Si
-
+
Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si Si

Ec Ec Ec
Ef
E i = Ef Ei Ei
Ef
Ev Ev Ev
n  p ni N D  ni N A  ni
Law of mass action
n N D p N A
ni2 ni2
np ni2 p n
ND NA
 Electron and Hole Concentrations

−( E c−E )/kT
f
n=N c e
3/2
2 πmm n kT Nc is called the effective
N c ≡2
[ h2 ] density of states (of
the conduction band) .
−( E f −E )/ kT
v
p=N v e
Nv is called the effective
3 /2 density of states of the
2 πmm p kT
N v≡2
[ h2 ] valence band.

Remember: the closer Ef moves up to Nc , the larger n is;

the closer Ef moves down to Ev , the larger p is.
For Si, N c = 2.81019 cm-3 and Nv = 1.041019 cm-3 .

Modern Semiconductor Devices for Integrated Circuits (C. Hu) Slide 1-24
ELECTRON CONC. IN TERMS OF INTRINSIC CONC.
CARRIER TRANSPORT
 Drift Currents

Electrons and holes flow in opposite directions when under

the influence of an electric field at different velocities.
The drift currents associated with the electrons and holes are
in the same direction.
 Diffusion Currents

Both electrons and holes flow from high concentration to low

conc.

The diffusion current associated with the electrons flows in

the opposite direction when compared to that of the holes.
Einstein Relationship
CARRIER TRANSPORT EQUATIONS