PHYS3310
Physics of Solid State Devices  

A/Prof Alex Hamilton

Dept. of Condensed Matter Physics &
Centre for Quantum Computer Technology

Office:  CQCT, 2nd floor, Newton Building

Lab:      National Magnet Lab, WG6
            (Ground floor, Newton Building).

Email:  Alex.Hamilton@unsw.edu.au

Syllabus    Assignments    Textbooks    Useful Web Links

 

Syllabus

The course covers the fundamental physical properties that underpin modern electronic and optoelectronic devices, describing the advances that have taken us from the first transistor in 1947 through to the silicon integrated circuit

1.  Revision

Reciprocal Lattice and k-space. Brillouin zone. Allowed k-states. Metals, insulators and semiconductors.

2.  Fundamental Concepts

Some real bandstructures. Ways of measuring the band gap. Effective Mass. Electrons and holes. Donors and Acceptors - the hydrogenic model. Density of States formula. Formulae for carrier concentrations in intrinsic and extrinsic materials. Temperature dependence of Fermi energy.

3.  Transport Properties

Resistivity. Hall Effect. Diffusion coefficient. Majority and minority carriers. Carrier mobility and ways to measure it.

4.  The P-N Junction diode

Diode structure. Depletion layer. Schockley equation (I-V characteristics). Junction capacitance. Avalanche breakdown.

5.  Bipolar Transistors

Formation. Bandstructure. Theory of operation.

6.  Metal-Semiconductor Contacts

Ideal Schottky and ohmic contacts. Depletion layer. Capacitance. Current transport processes. Schottky barrier: thermionic and diffusive regimes. Surface states. Barrier heights and their measurements.

7.  Field Effect Transistors

Junction FET (JFET). Metal Semiconductor FET (MESFET). Metal Oxide Semiconductor FET (MOSFET). Inversion and accumulation layers. High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT). Charge coupled devices.

8.  Optoelectronics

Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Solid state lasers. Double heterostructure and quantum well lasers. Optical Fibres. Photodetectors. Solar Cells.

9.  Integrated Circuits & Fabrication

10.                The Quantum Future

 

Textbooks:

"Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology", S.M. Sze, Wiley.

"The Physics of Semiconductor Devices", D.A. Fraser, Oxford University Press (out of print).

 

Assignments

Assignment 1 (past).
Assignment 2 new for 2003! - Assignment2.pdf

Useful Web Links

·       Britney Spears Guide to Semiconductor Physics. It is a little known fact that Ms. Spears is an expert in semiconductor physics ...
http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm

·       Transistorized! PBS Story & video clips about the invention of the transistor. Excellent site.
http://www.pbs.org/transistor/

·       Triumph of the Nerds. PBS Story about silicon valley, the invention of the computer, and the accidental creation of empires.
 http://www.pbs.org/nerds/

·       Semiconductor Java Applets A range of java applets that can be used in any web browser to visualise crystal structures, band gaps, PN junctions etc. Good fun.
http://jas2.eng.buffalo.edu/applets/index.html  

·       Scot’s guide to electronic components (simple)
http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/info/comp/comp.htm

·       Diminishing Dimensions. Scientific American article on low dimensional electronic devices.
http://www.sciam.com/specialissues/1097solidstate/1097corcoran.html