EEE 531

Semiconductor
Device Theory 1

D. K. Schroder
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-5706

IBM's POWER 6
7.9x108 transistors
4.7 GHz, 2007
© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1
 Instructor

Dr. D. K. Schroder
Dept. of Electrical Engineering
PO Box 875706
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ 85287-5706

Office: ERC-111
Telephone: (480) 965-6621; FAX: (480) 965-8118
E-Mail: schroder@asu.edu
Web Site: http://www.eas.asu.edu/~schroder
Office Hours: See Syllabus under Course Information

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Welcome

 This is a most useful course if

 You are planning to work in the field of semiconductors
 You want to get an overview of how the most common
semiconductor devices function
 The prerequisite for this course is a basic course
physics of semiconductor devices
e.g., ASU EEE 436
 You should be familiar with basic physics of solids,
band diagrams, crystal bonds, wave equation, basic
semiconductor devices

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Course Objectives
 Understand the operation of the basic semiconductor
devices
 Understand device physics (energy bands, carrier
statistics, recombination, and carrier drift and diffusion)
 After discussing these aspects of semiconductors, we
will concentrate on:
 pn junctions
 Metal-semiconductor devices
 Metal-oxide semiconductor capacitors and transistors
 Bipolar junction transistors
Emphasis will be on the conceptual understanding of device
operation rather than on memorization of equations

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Your Responsibility
 It is your responsibility to master the material
 I will assign homework so that you have to
apply the course material and reinforce learning
 Remember we typically retain only about
 20% of what we hear
 30% of what we see
 Up to 90% by participating in discussions or other
active experience
 The textbook is supplementary material that
you should consult
Tell me something, I’ll forget
Show me, I’ll remember
Involve me, I’ll understand

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Cell Phones

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Course Outline
 Fundamentals
 Introduction
 Crystal Structure
 Miller Indices
 Energy Bands
 Density of States
 Effective Masses
 Carrier Densities
 Fermi Function
 Recombination/Generation
 Current
 Continuity Equation
© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1
 PN Junctions
 Introduction
 Statics
 Excess Carrier Densities
 Law of the Junction
 Ideal Current-Voltage
 Space-charge Region I-V
 Capacitance
 Transients
 Storage Time
 Zener Breakdown
 Avalanche Breakdown
 Course Outline
 Metal-Semiconductor Devices  MOSFET – Non-idealities
 Introduction  Complementary MOS
 Metal-Semiconductor  Applications
Junction
 Schottky Diode  Bipolar Junction
 Ohmic Contact Transistors
 Applications  Introduction
 Field-Effect Devices  Fabrication
 Introduction  Minority Carriers
 MOS Capacitor - Basics  Currents
 MOS Capacitor - Quantitative  Gain
 MOS Capacitor - C-V  Current Crowding
 MOSFET - Qualitative  Non-idealities
 MOSFET - Quantitative  Applications

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Units

 The semiconductor world uses a mixture of units

 Device dimensions usually given in microns (micrometers)
 Oxide thickness is given in angstroms (Å) or nanometers (nm)
 Wafer diameters are given in millimeters (mm) or inches (200
mm wafer is often also called eight inches)
 Sometimes mils are used for wafer thickness or chip size

1 Å (angstrom) = 10-8 cm = 10-10 m

1 nm (nanometer) = 10-7 cm = 10-9 m
1 m (micron) = 10-4 cm = 10-6 m
1 mil = 10-3 inches = 25.4 m

Fingernails grow about

1 nm per second !

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Powers Of Ten

1024 yotta Y 10-1 deci d

1021 zetta Z 10-2 centi c
1018 exa E 10-3 milli m
1015 peta P 10-6 micro 
1012 tera T 10-9 nano n
109 giga G 10-12 pico p
106 mega M 10-15 femto f
103 kilo k 10-18 atto a
102 hecto h 10-21 zepto z
101 deka da 10-24 yocto y

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 References
 R.F. Pierret, Advanced Semiconductor Fundamentals, Prentice-Hall, 2003
 Good introductory book for the non-device basics
 S.M. Sze and K.K. Ng, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, Wiley, 2006
 Revised version of a well-known semiconductor device book
 R.F. Pierret, Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, Addison-Wesley, 1996
 Good introductory book to semiconductor devices
 Y. Taur and T.H. Ning, Fundamentals of Modern VLSI Devices, Cambridge
University Press, 2nd Ed., 2009
 Good modern book covering both MOSFETs and BJTs
 S. Wolf, Silicon Processing for the VLSI Era, Vol. 3 The Submicron MOSFET, Lattice
Press, 1995
 One of Stanley Wolf’s books; pretty good MOSFET presentation
 Y. Tsividis, Operation and Modeling of the MOS Transistor, 2nd Ed., McGraw-Hill,
1999
 Good book covering detailed theory of MOSFETs
 N. Arora, MOSFET Modeling for VLSI Simulation; Theory and Practice, Imperial
College Press, 2007
 Good book, although somewhat dated
 http://ece-www.colorado.edu/~bart/book/book/title.htm
 Semiconductor Device Physics book on the web

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 50 Years Progress
John Bardeen
Walter Brattain

William Shockley

Bell Laboratory - 1947 Motorola PC 620 - 1997

1 Transistor 7,000,000 Transistors

25 years later

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Device and Interconnects
 The MOSFET occupies a small portion of the chip volume
 Most of the volume is taken up by the interconnects

Interconnects

MOSFET

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 First Integrated Circuits

Robert Noyce Jack Kilby

Fairchild Texas
Instruments

First IC at Texas Instruments

First IC at Fairchild
Semiconductor, 1958 1958

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Si Valley History

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Moore’s Law
 In 1965 Gordon Moore of Fairchild Semiconductor noted
that the integrated circuit density had doubled in
complexity each year since 1959 containing 50 transistors
per chip
 (G.E. Moore, Cramming More Components onto Integrated
Circuits, Electronics 38, 114-117, April 1965)
 He predicted there would be 6,500 components per chip in
1975. In 1975, Moore updated his prediction and proposed
that density until that time had doubled every 2 years and
Gordon Moore
would likely continue to do so
 (G.E. Moore, Progress in Digital Integrated Electronics, IEEE IEDM
Digest, 11-13, Dec. 1975)
Equally important was his prediction that the

Transistors/Chip
 1010 16 G
Encyclopedia
manufacturing 1G
costs of ICs 108 Book
64 M Double
4M /1.5 Yrs
decreased at a 106 256 K
rate inversely Page 16 K Double/2 Yrs
proportional to 104
1K
the component 102
density  IC Double/1 Yr

cost ~ constant 100

1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1 Year
 Semiconductor Progress in Perspective

 Semiconductor progress in device size, circuit speed,

power consumption, memory storage capability, and
cost has been enormous since 1960
 How a model 1970 automobile would perform, had it
improved at the same rate as integrated circuits

1970 1995
Speed (mph) 100 2,500,000
Power (mpg) 20 1,740,000
Cost (1995 $) 20,000 40
Mass (kg) 1,500 0.06
Luggage (ft3) 20 80,000

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Number of Transistors
Number of Transistors

Year
© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1 Courtesy of IC Knowledge, www.icknowledge.com
 Czochralski Crystal Growth
 Bring single Seed
crystal seed
into the melt
Looks hot!
Molten Si (1414oC)

 Dip seed into

melt and
Seed is Polycrystalline
withdraw
necked Silicon
slowly
down

 Pull seed with

proper pull
rate and
rotation
Ingot

Jan Czochralski

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Czochralski Crystal Growth

Seed
Single Crystal Si
Quartz Crucible
Water Cooled Chamber
Heat Shield
Carbon Heater
Graphite Crucible
Crucible Support
Spill Tray
Electrode

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Present and Future Silicon
Seed
We’re talking
pizza here

200 mm 400 mm

300 mm

Photos Courtesy of Wacker Siltronic, Intel

450 mm
© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1
 Chip and Wafer Areas

104 10
Wafer Area (cm2)

Chip Area (cm2)

103

125 300 mm 1
200
102 75
150
100
50
101 0.1
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Year
300 mm ingots, courtesy
of B. Kellerman, MEMC

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Line Width

Line Width (m)

Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1 Courtesy of IC Knowledge, www.icknowledge.com

 Die Size

Die Size (mm2)

Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1 Courtesy of IC Knowledge, www.icknowledge.com

 Mask Layers

Number of Mask Layers

Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1 Courtesy of IC Knowledge, www.icknowledge.com

 Transistor Costs

Transistor Cost ($)

Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1 Courtesy of IC Knowledge, www.icknowledge.com

 Transistors

101
1017 100
10-1
1015

Cost ($)
10-2
Units

10-3
1013
10-4
1011 10-5
10-6
109 10-7
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Market Share of Technologies
 MOS technology has taken over most of
the IC market
Market Share GaAs

MOS

Bipolar

Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Semiconductor Sales

Worldwide Sales
400
Billion Dollars
300

200

100

0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
Year

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Graphs and Plots
 When two parameters vary over many orders of magnitudes
(decades) it is best to plot log - log

1
y
6.4 x 10 17 x

200 102

150
100
y 100 y
10-2
50

0 10-4 14
0 5 1019 1 1020 10 1016 1018 1020
x x

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Graphs and Plots
y  xn 104
103
102
What is n? 101
y 100
y  x log y  log x  n log x
n n 10-1
10-2
10-3
d (log y )
Slope  n 10-4
0.1 1 10
d (log x )
x
10000 4
3
8000 2
1

logy
6000
y 0
4000 -1
-2
2000 -3
-4
0 -1 -0 .5 0 0 .5 1
0 2 4 6 8 10
lo gx
x

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 Graphs and Plots
100
y  Ke x / x 1

80
What are K and x1? 60
y
40
x / x1
ln y  ln K  x / x1; log y  log K  20
ln 10
0
0 2 4 6 8 10
 ln y 
 recall  log y  x
ln 10  100

d (log y ) 1 1
Slope    y
dx x 1 ln 10 2.3 x 1 10

1
0 2 4 6 8 10
x

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1

 What Do You See?

© D.K. Schroder, Semiconductor Device Theory - 1