THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS

ERIK JONSSON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SCIENCE

EE 6320: SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE THEORY I: Fall 2005

Instructor: Dr. Lawrence J. Overzet
Telephone: UTD-2154; after 4 rings you get my message service
Email: overzet@utdallas.edu
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 4 PM – 5 PM or by appointment in ECSN 2.930
Textbooks: “Physics of Semiconductor Devices” M. Shur, Prentice Hall 1990.
"Advanced Semiconductor Fundamentals: Modular Series on Solid State Devices Vol. VI"
R. F. Pierret, Addison Wesley, 1987.
“Understanding Electron Devices” William R. Frensley, CD obtained from the author with
permission, 2003.
Useful references: "The Physics of Semiconductors" K. F. Brennan, Cambridge U. Press, 1999. (~$60).
"Semiconductor Device Fundamentals” R. F. Pierret, Addison Wesley, 1996.
“Solid State Electronic Devices” B. Streetman and S. Banerjee, Prentice Hall, 2000.

This course will teach you about the fundamentals of semiconductor materials and devices. In it, we will cover
selected aspects of electronic materials properties, charge carrier distributions and transport, semiconductor
interfaces, optical processes, and Schottky barrier as well as pn junction diodes. It has a co-requisite of EE6319
(Quantum Physical Electronics) and is a prerequisite to EE6321, which covers transistors in detail. The student
finishing this course will be able to better understand current literature on semiconductor properties and junctions.

Topical Course Outline:

1. Crystalline Semiconducting Solids: Lattices, Reciprocal Lattices, Brillouin Zones.
2. Lattice Dynamics: Dispersion relations, Phonons, Density of States and Sound velocity.
3. Relevant Statistics: Distribution functions: Bose-Einstein, Maxwell-Boltzmann, and Fermi-Dirac.
4. Energy Bands: Kronig-Penney model, Nearly free electron model, Effective mass (for the conductivity and
density of states function) Density of states function, 3-D energy band structures.
5. Bulk material equilibrium: Electron and Hole densities, Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic, Doping.
6. Bulk material out of equilibrium: Excess carrier loss mechanisms: Direct and indirect recombination
(Shockley-Read-Hall, Auger, and Radiative), Charge neutrality equation.
7. Charge transport: Boltzmann transport equation: Drift, Diffusion, Velocity overshoot (ballistic transport),
velocity saturation.
8. Optical properties of bulk material: Free-carrier absorption, Direct and indirect photon absorption,
photoconductivity.
9. Metal semiconductor contacts: Thermionic emission, Shottkey and Ohmic contacts.
10. P-N junction diodes: Potentials, particle movements and current flows, fields, junction width, capacitance,
transients.
11. Metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structures: Energy vs position (E vs. X) diagrams, biasing, capacitance,
threshold, steady state and transient behavior.
Course grading:
30% Regularly Assigned Homework
30% Test
40% Final Exam

Students who miss the Test or Final Exam without a valid excuse will receive a score of zero. Students with a valid
excuse for missing the Test or Final Exam MUST make arrangements beforehand or receive a score of zero. The
last day to drop with an automatic W is Nov. 1st.

Homework: Homework will be assigned on Monday or Wednesday and is due at the beginning of the following
Monday. Each student must turn in individual work. All assigned work will be collected. Late homework
assignments will not be accepted, unless arrangements were made beforehand.

EE 6320: SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE THEORY I

Approx. Course Syllabus: MS-1.12,13 = M. Shur’s book Chp. 1 sec. 12 and 13 (ie: 1-12 and 1-13.)
RP-3 = R. Pierret Chp. 3; KB-1.4,5 = K. Brennan Chp.1 Sec.4 & 5.
SB-5.2 = Streetman and Banerjee Chp. 5.2

Lecture Topic Reading Assignment

8/22 Class Introduction, QM Review RP-2 MS-1.1,2 KB-1.4,5
8/24 Molecular & Solid State Wavefunctions I MS-1.3 KB-7
8/29 Molecular & Solid State Wavefunctions II RP-1 MS-1.4
8/31 Molecular & Solid State Wavefunctions III RP-3.1 MS-1.5 KB-8.1-5
9/5 Labor Day Holiday – Enjoy!
9/7 Energy Bands I
9/12 Energy Bands II RP-3.2
9/14 Energy Bands III
9/19 Energy Bands IV RP-3.3
9/21 Energy Bands V
9/26 Energy Bands VI - Phonons I MS-1.8 KB-9.1
9/28 Phonons II
10/3 Equilibrium Carrier Statistics I RP-4 MS-1.6,7 KB-5.1,7,8
10/5 Equilibrium Carrier Statistics II
10/10 Generation and Recombination I RP-5 MS-1.11,12 KB-10.1-3
10/12 Generation and Recombination II
10/17 *** TEST *** (Covers to end of day 10/5) **********
10/19 Basic Carrier Transport I RP-6 MS-1.9 KB-6.3
10/24 Basic Carrier Transport II
10/26 Optical Properties KB-10.7,8
10/31 P-N Junctions I MS-2.1 SB-5 KB-11
11/2 P-N Junctions II MS-2.2
11/7 P-N Junctions III MS-2.3
11/9 P-N Junctions IV MS-2.4-6
11/14 Metal-Semiconductor Contacts I MS-2.9
11/16 Metal-Semiconductor Contacts II MS-2.10,11
11/21 Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) Contacts I MS-4.1-2 SB-6.4
11/23 MIS Contacts II MS-4.3
11/28 MIS Contacts III MS-4.3

11/30 (Wednesday) Final Exam 5:00 PM Comprehensive