National University

of Computer & Emerging Sciences

Course Title
Pre-requisite(s)
Text Book(s)

Ref. Book(s)

Objective:

Physics for Engineers (Semester: Fall 2015)

Title
Author(s)
Publisher
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Author(s)
Publisher
Title
Author(s)
Publisher
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Author(s)
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Author(s)
Publisher

Course Code

NS110

Credit Hrs

3+1

Solid State Electronic Devices (6th Edition)

Streetman G. Ben & Banerjee Sanjay Kumar
2006 by Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Millmans Electronic Devices and Circuits (3rd Edition)
Jacob Millman, Christos Halkias, Satyabrata Jit
2014 McGraw Hill, Inc.
Semiconductor Devices-Physics and Technology (3rd Edition)
S.M. Sze & M.K. Lee
2012 by John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Solid State Electronics Devices-Undergraudate Lecture Notes in Physics
Christo Papadopoulos
2014 by Springer
Grobs Basic Electronics (11th Edition)
Mitchel E. Schultz
2014 McGraw Hill, Inc.

To provide an introduction to the theory of semiconductor devices. It will also provide a basis for
understanding the characteristics, operation, and limitations of semiconductor devices.
Course Contents/Topics

Lecture #1: Crystal Properties and Growth of Semiconductors: semiconductor materials, crystal lattices
Lecture #2: Bulk crystal growth, starting materials, growth of single-crystal ingots, wafers, doping
Lecture #3: lattice matching in epitaxial growth, vapor-phase epitaxy, molecular beam epitaxy
Lecture #4: Atoms and Electrons: introduction to quantum mechanics, photoelectric effect, atomic spectra, the Bohr model.
Lecture #5: Quantum Mechanics: probability and the uncertainty principle, the Schrodinger wave equation.
Lecture #6: The potential well problem, tunneling.
Lecture #7: Energy Bands and Charge Carriers in Semiconductors: bonding forces in solids, energy bands, metals, semiconductors and
insulators, direct and indirect semiconductors.
Lecture #8: Charge carriers in semiconductors, electrons and holes, effective mass, intrinsic materials, extrinsic materials, electrons and
holes in quantum wells, carrier concentrations.
Lecture #9: the Fermi level, electron and hole concentration at equilibrium, temperature dependence of carrier concentration, space charge.
Lecture #10: The drift of carriers in electric and magnetic fields, conductivity and mobility, drift and resistance, the Hall effect.
MID-TERM EXAM I
Lecture #11: Excess Carriers in Semiconductors: optical absorbance, luminescence, photoluminescence, electroluminescence.
Lecture #12: Carrier lifetime and photoconductivity, direct recombination of electrons and holes, indirect recombination, steady-state carrier
generation-quasi-fermi levels.
Lecture #13: Photoconductive devices, diffusion of carriers, diffusion processes
Lecture #14: Diffusion and drift of carriers-built-in fields, diffusion and recombination-the continuity equation, diffusion length.
Lecture #15: Junctions: fabrication of p-n junctions, diffusion, rapid thermal processing, ion implantation, chemical vapor deposition (CVD),
photolithography, etching, metallization.
Lecture #16: Equilibrium conditions, the contact potential, equilibrium and fermi levels, space charge at the junction.
Lecture #17: Forward and reverse biased junctions, carrier injection, reverse saturation current.
Lecture #18: Reverse bias breakdown, zener breakdown, avalanche breakdown, rectifiers, the breakdown diode.
Lecture #19: Transient and AC conditions, switching diodes, capacitance of p-n junctions, the varactor diode, Schottky barrier.

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Lecture #20: Field Effect Transistors : Transistor operation, the load line, amplification and switching, the junction field-effect transistor
(JFET), pinch-off and saturation, gate control, current-voltage characteristics
MID-TERM EXAM II
Lecture #21: Metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), enhancement MOSFET (EMOSFET)
Lecture #22: Depletion enhancement MOSFET (DEMOSFET), MOS terminology: NMOS, PMOS, CMOS.
Lecture #23 The metal-semiconductor FET (MEFET), the electron mobility transistor (HEMT), Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MISFET), the
ideal MOS capacitor
Lecture #24: Bipolar Junction Transistor: fundamentals of BJT operation, amplification with BJTS, BJT fabrication
Lecture #25: Minority carrier distributions and terminal currents, Solution of the diffusion equation in the base region,
Lecture #26: Transistor characteristics, current components, transistor as an amplifier
Lecture #27: Switching, saturation, Other important effects, drift in the base region, base narrowing
Lecture #28: Base resistance and emitter crowding, Frequency limitations of the transistors, a brief on integrated devices and circuit
manufacturing
FINAL EXAM

Evaluation Criteria:
Quizzes, Assignments
Midterm (I+II)
Final Exam

20%
30%
50%

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