ECE-305: Spring 2016

Material Properties: I
Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals (SDF)
pp. 3-11

Professor Mark Lundstrom

Electrical and Computer Engineering
Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN USA
lundstro@purdue.edu

1/12/15
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 semiconductors

One shouldnt work on semiconductors, that is a filthy

mess; who knows whether any semiconductors exist.

Wolfgang Pauli, 1931

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 outline

1. Silicon

2. Crystals

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 semiconductors

column
IV

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table
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4
 silicon energy levels

Si atom (At. no. 14)

4S0

3P2
4 valence electrons
8 valence states
energy

3S2

2P6
core
2S2 levels

1S2
5
Lundstrom ECE-305 S16
 Si atoms in a solid

1) In a Si crystal, each atom occupies, a specific

location in a crystal lattice.

2) Polycrystalline Si consider of many

crystalline grains with different orientations.

3) In amorphous Si, the atoms are more or less

randomly distributed throughout the solid.

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 a 2D crystal

b
a

7 Lundstrom ECE-305 S16

 Graphene: 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics

Graphene is a one-atom-thick planar carbon sheet with a

honeycomb lattice.

source: CNTBands 2.0 on nanoHUB.org

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 unit cells

9 Lundstrom ECE-305 S16

 3D crystal structure

10
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bravais_lattice
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 lattice plus basis

11 Lundstrom ECE-305 S16

 semiconductors

column
IV

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table
12
 semiconductors

Col. Col.
III V

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table
13
 Si crystal structure (diamond lattice)

4 nearest
neighbors
N atoms 5 1022 cm -3

5.43 A

14
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 diamond lattice

https://nanohub.org/tools/crystal_viewer
15
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 The diamond lattice

Atoms per unit cell

8 times 1/8 + 6 times + 4

8 atoms per unit cell

https://nanohub.org/tools/crystal_viewer
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 Silicon: density
Lattice constant: a = 5.4307 Ang

Density = total mass/vol. of unit cell.

Atomic mass of Si: 28.0855 amu

1 amu = 1.6605 x 1027 kg

8 28.0855 1.6605 1027

= kg/m 3
(5.4307 10 )
3
10

= 2.3296 g/cm 3
https://nanohub.org/tools/crystal_viewer 17
Lundstrom ECE-305 S16
 Silicon: NN spacing

Lattice constant: a = 5.4307 Ang

Body diagonal = sqrt(3) a.

NN spacing = sqrt(3)a/4

https://nanohub.org/tools/crystal_viewer
18
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cartoon Si crystal

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 outline

1. Silicon
2. Crystals

Online tool: https://nanohub.org/tools/crystal_viewer

Lundstrom ECE-305 S16 20