Physics of Semiconductors

Course guarantor:

Martin Ledinský

Lecturer:

Martin Ledinský

Tutor:

Supervisor:

Department of Solid State Engineering

Synopsis:

Lectures give an overview of fundamental physical phenomena used for design and operation of semiconductor elements. Physics of electric, galvanomagnetic, thermoelectric, thermomagnetic, photoelectric and optical properties of intrinsic and doped semiconductors is explained in detail with respect to possibilities of their effective modification and optimization. Considerable attention is also paid to explanation of the properties of P-N junction and metal-semiconductor contact.

Requirements:

Syllabus of lectures:

1. Elementary properties and types of semiconductors.

2. Energy band structure of semiconductors, positively charged holes, effective mass.

3. Statistics of charge carriers in thermodynamic equilibrium, Fermi-Dirac distribution function, occupation probability of impurity energy levels, intrinsic, doped, compensated and degenerate semiconductor.

4. Charge and energy transport in non-degenerate semiconductors, Boltzmann transport equation, relaxation time, conductivity, Hall effect, magnetoresistance.

5. Scattering processes in semiconductors, scattering on acoustic phonons and ionized impurities, temperature dependence of lifetime and mobility of charge carriers.

6. Diffusion of charge carriers, non-homogenous systems, Einstein relations.

7. Thermoelectric effect, Peltier effect, thermomagnetic effects.

8. Injection and recombination of free charge carriers, ambipolar mobility, diffusion length of minority charge carriers.

9. Optical absorption of semiconductors, exciton and impurity absorption.

10. Deep impurity levels, electron and hole traps, recombination centers.

11. Photoelectric properties of semiconductors, mechanisms and dynamic of photoconductivity, photovoltaic effects, light generation in semiconductors - electroluminescence.

12. Abrupt P-N junction in thermodynamic equilibrium, volt-ampere characteristics and capacity of P-N junction, graded P-N junction.

13. Metal-semiconductor contact, Schottky diode, volt-ampere characteristics of Schottky diode, ohmic contact.

Syllabus of tutorials:

Study Objective:

Study materials:

Key reference:

[1] Grundmann, M.: The Physics of Semiconductors: An Introduction Including Nanophysics and Applications, 3rd edition, 2018, Springer International Publishing.

[2] Yu, P.Y., Cardona, M.: Fundamentals of Semiconductors: Physics and Materials Properties, 4th edition, 2010, Springer - Verlag.

Recommended references:

[3] Anderson, B.L., Anderson, R.L.: Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices, 2nd edition, 2017, McGraw Hill.

[4] Seeger, K.: Semiconductor Physics: An Introduction, 9th edition, 2010, Springer - Verlag..

Note:

Time-table for winter semester 2024/2025:

Time-table is not available yet

Time-table for summer semester 2024/2025:

Time-table is not available yet

The course is a part of the following study plans:

• Inženýrství pevných látek (compulsory course in the program)
• Solid State Engineering (compulsory course in the program)