ELCT 363: Introduction to Microelectronics

Meeting Times: Tue/Thu 1:15 PM - 2:30 PM,

SWGN 2A31
Instructor: Iftikhar Ahmad, Ph.D.
Room No. SWGN 3A35,
Ph. 803-576-7226
ahmad@cec.sc.edu

Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 10:30 AM – 11:30 PM

or by Appointment

Teaching Assistant: Samiul Hasan, shasan@email.sc.edu

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 1

 Study Materials:
 Textbook:
Required Textbook:
Solid State Electronic Devices, Ben G. Streetman and
Sanjay Kumar Banerjee, 7th edition or 6th edition
Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle, NJ 07458,
ISBN-13; 978-0-13-335603-8
Recommended Book:
Semiconductor Physics and Devices, Donald A. Neamen,
4th edition, McGraw Hill Higher Education,
ISBN # 978-0-07-352958-5
(3rd edition will do if you have one)

 Lecture Notes: Will be posted in the Blackboard

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 2
 Grading Scale
Score ≥ 90: A
85 ≤ Score <90: B+
80≤ Score <85: B
75≤ Score <80: C+
70≤ Score <75: C
65≤ Score <70: D+
60≤ Score <65: D
Score < 60: F

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 3

 Assessments and Grading

Grading Description Total Credit

Homework 6-8 Homework assignments + 4-5 Quizzes 25%

Midterm Exams October 15 Tuesday, 1:15 to 2:30 p.m. 25%
Final Exam Dec. 10, Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. (2.5 hours) 35%
Research and Students, working in a 3-4 students' group, 14%
Presentation will research a topic in microelectronics and
present their understandings to the class
Bonus Points Class Presence, Extra Class Work (Survey) 1

TOTAL 100%

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 4

 Course Overview
 Crystal structures
 Crystal lattice, Miller Index, crystal growth (bulk/epitaxial)
 Energy bands and carriers in semiconductors
 Electrons, holes, carrier concentration in doped and intrinsic
semiconductors
 Excess carriers in semiconductors
 Generation, recombination, carrier lifetime, and mobility
 PN Junctions and diode
 p-n junction, diode principles, and characteristics
 Metal-semiconductor junction
 Principles and characteristics
 Application of PN Junction
 LED, Field-Effect Transistor (FET), Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT), etc
 Student Research and presentations
 15 to 20 min presentation in group setting

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 5

 Lectures Schedule
Class # Date Class Contents Test & Assignment Due
First Day of Classes TH, 8/22
1 TH, 8/22 Course Overview
2 T, 8/27 Introduction to semiconductor materials
W, 8/28 Last day to change/drop a course without a grade of “W” being recorded
3 TH 8/29 Semiconductor crystal lattice
4 T, 9/03 Semiconductor crystal Growth Process Homework 1 is due
5 TH, 9/05 Origin of Energy Band Structure
6 T, 9/10 Quantum Mechanics & Energy bands Homework 2 is due
7 TH, 9/12 Intrinsic Semiconductors Note: This is a
8 T, 9/17
Doping of semiconductors-Extrinsic
Semicon.
Homework 3 is due/ Career Dev.
Coach/Fair prep tentative
9
10
TH, 9/19
T, 9/24
Review of the concepts
Drift / Diffusion of Carriers - 1 Homework 4 is due
schedule.
11 TH, 9/26 Drift/Diffusion of Carriers _2 Assignment due
12 T, 10/01 Generation and Recombination -1 Homework 5 is due
13 TH, 10/03 Generation and Recombination -2 dates will be
14 T, 10/08 Review for Mid-term Exam
Fall Break from 10/10 to 10/11 announced in
15
16
T, 10/15 Mid Term Exam
TH, 10/17 Process to make devices/Junction
Include material up to Lecture 11
the class.
17 T, 10/22 p-n junctions-Diodes - 1 Homework 7 is due
18 TH, 10/24 p-n junctions-Diodes - 2
19 T, 10/29 Metal-Semiconductor Contacts
20 TH, 10/31 Semiconductor Heterojunction and HEMT Homework 8 is due
21 T, 11/05 BPJT – Transistor
W, 11/06 Last day to drop a course or withdraw without a grade of “WF” being recorded
22 TH, 11/07 MOSFET Introduction
23 T, 11/12 Different Variation of FET
24 TH, 11/14 LEDS and LDs
25 T, 11/19 Solar Cells and Photodiodes
26 TH, 11/21 Student Presentations Homework 9 is due
27 T, 11/26 Student Presentations
Thanksgiving Break from 11/27 to 11/29
28 T, 12/03 Student Presentations
29 TH, 12/06 Review of the Course for Final Exam

9-16 Dec. Dec. 10, Tuesday, 12:30 p.m. (2.5 hours) Final Exam

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 6

 Course Policies
• The purpose of this course is to develop solid understanding in the field of
semiconductor
• Do not miss a class, when you miss class you miss important information. If you miss a
class, you can submit a short report related to the class subject – missing more 10% of
scheduled classes without short reports will result in 1% reduction in the overall grades.
• Homework is due at the beginning of class, no late homework accepted, unless you do
additional problem in the homework. Homework will not be accepted at all on next day
after due date.
• If you are absent when an assignment is due, you must submit the assignment prior to
the due date to receive credit.
• Makeup exams will be allowed only with pre-approval of the instructor or with an
acceptable, documented reason. Acceptable reasons for makeup exams include severe
illness, family emergencies or other unavoidable events including dangerous weather
conditions and car accidents. Exam format for makeup exams may be different than the
original exam.
• The University of South Carolina has clearly articulated its policies governing academic
integrity and students are encouraged to carefully review the policy on the Honor Code
in the Carolina Community. Any deviation from these expectations will result in
academic penalties as well as disciplinary action.
ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 7
 Other items of the Syllabus
Academic Integrity
Unless otherwise stated, assignments and examination work are expected to be the sole
effort of the student submitting the work. Students are expected to follow the University of
South Carolina Honor Code and they should expect that every instance of a suspected
violation will be reported. Students found responsible for violations of the Code will be
subject to academic penalties under the Code in addition to whatever disciplinary sanctions
are applied.
Accommodating Disabilities
Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you
have a disability and may need accommodations to fully participate in this class, contact
the Office of Student Disability Services: 777-6142, TDD 777-6744, email
sasds@mailbox.sc.edu, or stop by LeConte College Room 112A. All accommodations
must be approved through the Office of Student Disability Services.

Recommended Study Habits

 Read the assigned material before class.
 Bring thoughtful questions to class for discussion.
 Prepare for the exams in study groups.
 Take notes during class discussions and while completing reading assignments.
Deviations
Minor deviations from the syllabus are a normal part of any adaptive teaching and learning
process.

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 8

 What is Microelectronics ?
 Microelectronics are the electronic components that are very small - usually
micrometre-scale (10-6 m or 10-4 cm) or smaller.
 As demand for small and less-expensive devices grow, the scale of electronic
components continues to decrease.
 The most common components are transistors, resistors, capacitors, and
diodes.
 Transistors turn the electricity on and off, similar to a switch.
 Resistors control the amount of electricity that flows through
 Capacitors concentrate the electricity
 Diodes direct when electricity will be used
 For example Digital integrated circuits (ICs) consist mostly of transistors.
Analog circuits commonly contain resistors and capacitors as well.
 These devices are made from Semiconductors.
 The advantage of micro-chips are: smaller in size, low cost and better
performance, low power consumption.

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 9

Semiconductor Material Properties Lead to New Devices
Good Material Growth (Epitaxy) is 90% of the Battle. Device Development is only the remaining 10%

Devices need Low-defect Lattice Matched Epitaxy which needs Bulk Substrates

Narrow Bandgap Semiconductors: Silicon (Si) and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) and Gallium Phosphide (GaP)

12” Diameter Si-Boules 12” Diameter Si-Wafers Device Epitaxial Layers Power and Digital Electronics

6” Diameter GaAs-Boules 6” Diameter bulk-Wafers Device Epitaxial Layers IR Lasers-LEDs, Thermal Imagers

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide

 History of Microelectronics
 1940: Russell Ohl discovered a p-n junction diode
 1947: William Shockley (seated), John Bardeen
(left), and Walter Brattain (right) invented the
transistor at Bell Labs and thereby ushered in a
new era of semiconductor devices. The three
inventors shared the Nobel prize in 1956.
 1958: John Kilby, a Texas Instrument engineer
invented the Integrated Circuit (IC) where all the
components were introduced on the same die/chip
without requiring external wires.  This invention created a
new field: microelectronics
 Today microprocessors contain about >100 million transistors in a
chip area of ~ 3x3 cm2
 The advantage of micro-chips are: smaller in size, low cost and
better performance, low power consumption
ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 11
 From electronics to microelectronics

First First Integrated

Transistor, Circuit, Intel’s 1.7 Billion
1947 1958 Transistors on a single Chip
2004

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 12

 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Gate 100 nm

30 nm

Intel Transistor Influenza Virus

(Source: CDC)
Diameter of Human hair = 17 to 180 µm.
State of the art devices at 10 to 15 nm node are demonstrated
ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 13
 Microelectronics Present Status

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 14

 Thin Film Technology Universe

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide

 Applications of Microelectronics

Applications of Microelectronics spans from cell-phone towers to air-

planes to computers to almost everywhere

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 16

 AlInGaN Wide-bandgap Semiconductor Applications
Wide-bandgap semiconductors

Power Electronics LEDs and Lasers

Solar-blind Sensors

Displays and Lighting

Electric vehicles Threat warning

Air-water
purification
Radars
Bio-medical systems
Missile Detection

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide

 Career Tracks
Conventional Microelectronics (Si, Ge, SiGe)
 Semiconductor material growth and Device Design,
 Fabrication, Packaging, and Testing of devices
 Integrated Circuit (IC) Design, Packaging, and Testing
Compound Semiconductors) (II-VI and III-V)
 IR, Visible, and UV devices – growth, design and processing Engineer
 Microwave , telecommunication and wireless applications Engineer
 Military and space applications Engineer
Ionic Semiconductors
 Most engineers in Solar cell industry
Major employer of Semiconductors peoduct engineer
Intel, IBM, GE, Texas Instruments, Motorola, Nokia, Cree, Seoul Semi, etc

ELCT 363: Intro. to Microelectronics Dr. Ahmad/Fall 2019 Introduction; Slide 18