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    Physics of Solid State Devices

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    Anonymous DGq0O15nNz
    1. The document discusses the physics principles behind solid state devices, including energy bands and band gaps that characterize materials as insulators, semiconductors, or metals. 2. It describes how doping semiconductors with atoms of other elements can produce either excess electrons (n-type) or holes (p-type), which influence the position of the Fermi level. 3. When a p-type and n-type semiconductor are brought into contact at a p-n junction, diffusion of holes and electrons creates a built-in electric field that is useful for applications like radiation detection.

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    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Physics of Solid State Devices

    Uploaded by

    Anonymous DGq0O15nNz
    28 views3 pages
    1. The document discusses the physics principles behind solid state devices, including energy bands and band gaps that characterize materials as insulators, semiconductors, or metals. 2. It describes how doping semiconductors with atoms of other elements can produce either excess electrons (n-type) or holes (p-type), which influence the position of the Fermi level. 3. When a p-type and n-type semiconductor are brought into contact at a p-n junction, diffusion of holes and electrons creates a built-in electric field that is useful for applications like radiation detection.

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    introduction

    Original Title

    Solid State Device

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    1. The document discusses the physics principles behind solid state devices, including energy bands and band gaps that characterize materials as insulators, semiconductors, or metals. 2. It describes how doping semiconductors with atoms of other elements can produce either excess electrons (n-type) or holes (p-type), which influence the position of the Fermi level. 3. When a p-type and n-type semiconductor are brought into contact at a p-n junction, diffusion of holes and electrons creates a built-in electric field that is useful for applications like radiation detection.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    28 views3 pages

    Physics of Solid State Devices

    Uploaded by

    Anonymous DGq0O15nNz
    1. The document discusses the physics principles behind solid state devices, including energy bands and band gaps that characterize materials as insulators, semiconductors, or metals. 2. It describes how doping semiconductors with atoms of other elements can produce either excess electrons (n-type) or holes (p-type), which influence the position of the Fermi level. 3. When a p-type and n-type semiconductor are brought into contact at a p-n junction, diffusion of holes and electrons creates a built-in electric field that is useful for applications like radiation detection.

    Copyright:

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    1

    Physics of solid state devices


    Short introduction to the principles of
    operation
    Solid state physics terminology
    Energy bands instead of atomic energy levels (bands
    are broadened levels)
    Conduction and valence bands, forbidden band (band
    gap)-> insulators, semiconductors, and metals
    Fermi level determining the type of charge carriers in
    semiconductors: electrons (n-type) or holes (p-type)
    Contacts of two semiconductors (p-n junctions) or
    metal and a semiconductor; built in electric fields
    Defects, trapping, recombination, charge carrier
    collection, devices
    Quantized energy states
    The electrons in free atoms can will be found in only certain
    discrete energy states
    These states are associated with the orbits or shells of electrons
    in an atom, e.g., a hydrogen atom
    Energy level splitting in molecules
    Wave
    function
    1 energy level
    Splits into 2 levels when atoms are brought together
    Potential
    well
    Atomic levels become bands
    band
    In solids, atomic
    energy levels
    broaden to form
    energy bands
    Different atomic
    levels form
    different bands
    Brining multiple atoms together results in further level splitting
    When levels start overlap they form energy bands
    Terminology and classification
    of solids
    Conduction
    band
    Valence band
    Forbidden band (gap)
    Valence band is the highest band filled with
    electrons, no empty states at T=0
    Conduction band is the lowest fully empty, no
    electrons at T=0
    G=3-5 eV
    Dielectrics
    G~1 eV,
    Semiconductors
    Bands overlap
    No gap
    Metals
    2
    Example: Sodium band structure
    Sodium has 11 electrons, its outer shell is half full (1 electron in s band)
    It is easy for electrons in the valence band to be excited into empty higher
    energy states of conduction band
    Sodium conducts electricity well since there is no band gap
    (s band: max 2
    electrons)
    (p band: max 6
    electrons)
    3p
    Pauli principle and Fermi energy
    Pauli: Not more than 2 electrons (with opposite spins) per state
    Bucket of N >>1 electrons
    To distribute in band states
    Fermi level (energy)
    All states below E
    F
    are filled with electrons
    All states above E
    F
    are empty
    (at zero T)
    E
    F

    Doping of semiconductors: n-type
    A very small number of atoms of a
    group V element, e.g., arsenic As,
    are added to the silicon Si (group
    IV element) as substitutional atoms
    Additional valence electrons are
    introduced into the material
    because each As atom has 1 extra
    valence electron
    These additional electrons are
    bound only weakly to their parent
    impurity atoms
    even at very low temperature they can
    be promoted into the conduction band
    of the semiconductor
    Doping of semiconductors: p-type
    A very small number of atoms of
    a group III element, e.g., gallium
    Ga, are added to the silicon Si
    (group IV element) as
    substitutional atoms
    There will be a deficit in the
    number of valence electrons in
    the material
    This introduces electron-
    accepting levels just above the
    top of the valence band
    even at very low temperature they
    can be promoted into the conduction
    band of the semiconductor
    Fermi level in semiconductors
    Position of Fermi level is
    related to the type of
    semiconductor: close to
    CB for n type, close to
    VB for p type
    E
    F

    E
    F

    E
    F

    Intrinsic
    p type
    n type
    Brining two material in contact: metals
    Electrons move to the material where their energy is
    lower, leaving unbalanced positive charge behind
    Similar to flat-plate capacitor: built-in electric field
    1 2
    contact
    V
    e
    u u
    =
    3
    Brining two material in contact:
    p-n junctions
    In p-type semiconductor
    holes are created by
    negatively charged acceptor
    impurities
    In n-type, conduction
    electrons are donated by
    positively charged donors
    At a pn junction holes
    diffuse from the p side, and
    electrons from the n side,
    creating charges of opposite
    sign on both sides and thus
    creating a built-in electric
    field (bands are tilted)
    No free carriers
    p-n junction under reverse bias
    To reverse-bias the p-n
    junction, the p side is made
    more negative
    This increases the built-in
    electric field, improving
    separation and collection of
    charges produced by radiation
    The depletion width (sensitive
    region) is also increased
    Most often used in radiation
    detection as it improves signal
    to noise ratio
    Reverse
    bias
    Current-voltage characteristics
    of p-n junction
    Diode I-V curve
    Useful part typically
    from 3 to 3V
    Breakdown voltage
    is not readily
    predicted (10-30 V in
    different diodes)
    |
    |
    .
    |

    \
    |
    = 1
    kT
    qV
    s
    e I I
    q
    Example: Bipolar transistor
    Device structure: two p-n
    junctions connected back-to-
    back
    Voltage applied to the base
    determines the current
    between emitter and
    collector; exponential
    amplification due to change
    in barrier height
    It is called bipolar because
    both electrons and holes
    carry current in the device
    Can occur in either npn or
    pnp configurations
    1956 Nobel prize in physics for
    invention of a transistor by
    Bardeen, Brattain, and Shockley
    Example: MOSFET
    Metal oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor
    Same principle of operation (gate ~ base)
    Simplified fabrication
    insulator
    Example: TLD
    Radiation excites electron into CB; to lower its energy it
    move into a trap (metastable defect state)
    After heating electron acquires energy to get back to CB
    Recombination with a hole from VB results in energy
    release emitted as optical photon
    VB
    CB
    Incident
    radiation
    Electron trap
    (metastable
    state)
    -
    VB
    CB
    Thermo-
    luminescen
    t photon
    Electron trap
    (metastable
    state)
    -

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