Electronic Devices & Circuits

MT240: Spring 2020

Instructor
SAMINA JAMIL

1
 Course Learning Outcomes
CLO # CLO description PLO Learning
domain and
level
1 Identify the basic construction, 1 C2
operation and characteristics of
semiconductor devices
2 Applying the acquired 2 C3
knowledge to solve small scale
circuits consisting of
semiconductor devices
3 Analyze DC and AC response of 3 C4
small signal amplifier circuits
using device models

2
Week
Course Outline/Lecture
Topics
Plan
#
1 Basic concepts of conductors, insulators, semiconductors, PN junction,
majority carriers, barrier potential, forward biasing, no biasing and reverse
biasing
2 The ideal diode and its applications, terminal characteristics of junction
diodes, analysis of diode circuits, modeling of diode
3 The small-signal model analysis and its applications, Zener diode, rectifier
circuits
4 Clipper, clamper, limiter circuits, physical operation of diode, special diode
typesb
5 Basic concepts of BJTs, physical structure and operating principles of BJTs.
6 Basic BJT circuit configurations, current voltage characteristics, graphical
representation of transistor characteristics
7 Early effect, common emitter characteristics, problems
8 What are large and small signals? Large signal operation, BJT as a switch
9 Midterm exams

3
Week
Course Outline/Lecture
Topics
Plan
#
10 BJT circuit at DC, biasing BJT amplifier circuits, problems
11 Small signal operations and models, collector current and transconductance,
base current and input resistance at base, emitter current and input resistance
at emitter, problem
12 Device structure and physical operation, P channel MOSFETs, CMOS
13 MOSFET current voltage characteristics
14 MOSFET circuits at DC
15 MOSFET as an amplifier and as a switch
16 MOSFET small signal operation and models
17 Course review and discussion
18 Final exam

4
 Reading Material
• Lecture slides (Only outline of topics)

• Lecture notes (Prepare yourself during lecture and from text/ref

books)

• Text Books
– Microelectronics Circuits, Latest Edition By A.S. Sedra & K. C. Smith,
Oxford University Press

• Reference Books
– Electronic Devices & Circuit Theory, by Floyd
– Latest Ed., by R. Boylestad and L. Nashelsky

5
Marks Breakdown
• 6 Assignments 10%
• 6 Quizes 15%
• Mid Term 30%
• Final 45%

6
 Lecture 1: EDC-MT240
Materials, Semiconductors, Diodes
Instructor
SAMINA JAMIL

7
 Lecture 1: Overview

• Electrical properties of materials

• Insulators, conductors, semiconductors
• Semiconductor
• Intrinsic, extrinsic
• Extrinsic Semiconductors
• N type, P type
• PN Junction Diode
• Diode Biasing

8
 Lecture 1:
Electrical Properties of Materials
• Insulators, Conductors & Semiconductors
• Structure of an atom
– Atom is identified by atomic number
– Atomic number = number of protons

• Shells & energy levels

– Electrons revolve in shells
– Each shell corresponds to fixed
energy level
– Outermost shell is valence shell

9
 Lecture 1:
Electrical Properties of Materials
• Insulators, Conductors & Semiconductors
– Materials are divided into 3 categories based on their
electrical properties:
• Insulators
– Do not / poorly conduct current
– Mostly compounds. Why?
– Rubber, glass, mica etc.
• Conductors
– Elements with 1 or 2 valence electrons
– Single-element materials like gold, silver, Cu
– Valence electrons are free electrons

10
 Lecture 1:
Electrical Properties of Materials
• Insulators, Conductors & Semiconductors
• Semiconductors
– Conductivity between an insulator and conductor
– Elements in group IV and some other elements and
compounds are semiconductors
– Mostly Si and Ge are used.
– Si is preferred over Ge. Why?

11
 Lecture 1:
Electrical Properties of Materials
• Insulators, Conductors & Semiconductors
• Band gap
– Difference b/w energy
levels of two adjacent bands
– Insulators have large
band gap b/w valence &
conduction bands
– Valence & conduction
bands overlap in conductors
• Do all materials have same energy levels for valence bands?

12
 Lecture 1:
Electrical Properties of Materials
• Intrinsic Semiconductors
– Pure Si or Ge is called intrinsic semiconductor
• Si atom
• Energy diagram of Si

– How number of valence electrons effect energy level?

13
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Si crystal
– Covalent bonding diagram
– At 0 ͦK no external energy
– All bonding electrons in
valence band.
– No free/conduction electrons

14
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole pair
– At temp>0oK some of bonding
electrons get more energy
and bond breaks.

– A thermally generated
electron-hole pair.

– What is recombination?

15
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole pair

– Free/conduction electrons
make current if voltage is applied

16
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

17
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

18
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

19
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

20
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

21
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

22
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Intrinsic Semiconductors
• Electron / Hole currents

– Electron current flows in conduction band due to free

electrons.

– Hole current flows in valence band due to valence

electrons shifting bond to bond.

– Both currents move in opposite directions

23
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Extrinsic Semiconductors
– Pentavalent or trivalent atoms are added to Si
• N type SC
– Pentavalent: Sb, P, Bi
– Why electron becomes
free?
– Free electron without
hole.
Each pentavalent atom
donates a free electron, hence it is
called donor impurity

24
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Extrinsic Semiconductors
• N type SC
– Majority carrier

– Minority carrier

25
 Lecture 1: Semiconductors

• Extrinsic Semiconductors

• P type SC
– Trivalent : B, In, Ga
– Each trivalent atom gives a
hole, hence called acceptor
impurity
– A hole without a free electron
– Majority carriers
– Minority carriers

26
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction
– A P type and an N type
material is joined together.
– P region has holes as
majority and electrons as
minority carriers.
– N region has electrons
as majority and holes as
minority carriers.
– Majority carriers = due to doping + thermally generated.
– Minority carriers = thermally generated

27
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction
– Free electrons from
N region make impurity
atom +ve ion.
– A free electron crosses
the junction, looses
energy & fall into a hole.
If hole is due to P type
impurity, a captured electron makes it a –ve ion.
– Hole and electrons are mobile charges and ions are
immobile.

28
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction
– Ions make layers
across the junction which
is depleted of charges.
– Due to opposite
polarities of depletion
layer a voltage appears
across junction called
barrier voltage.
– Barrier voltage Vb stops further crossing of electrons across
junction.

29
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction
– Energy diagram
» Conduction band
electrons from N side
cross the junction and
enter conduction band
of P side.
» Some electrons loose
energy and fall in the
holes.
– Why energy levels are not same in the two regions?

30
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction
– Energy diagram
» All high energy
electrons from N side
cross the junction and
low energy electrons
are left.
» No electron can
cross the junction and
an equilibrium is established

31
 Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

Assignment 1:CLO1: Due Monday 3 Feb

Q1) Si is preferred over Ge. Why?
Q2) Do all materials have same energy levels for
valence bands?
Q3) How number of valence electrons effect energy
level?
Q4) When a pentavalent atom is added to Si why an
electron becomes free?
Q5) Why energy levels are different in P and N type
semiconductor?

32
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction Diode
– Basic construction
» A P and an N regions combined together.

– Symbol

33
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction Diode
– Biasing a diode
» Biasing means applying a DC voltage.
– Forward biasing a diode
» P region with +ve
and N with –ve terminal
of DC bias.

34
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction Diode
– Forward biasing a diode
» Electrons from N side move towards junction and
neutralize +ve ions in depletion layer.
» –ve ions on P side are
neutralized as their extra
electrons are pulled away.
» Depletion layer reduced.

forward bias

35
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction Diode
– Forward biasing a diode
» Electrons from N side cross junction.
» Their energy level reduces from conduction to valence
band.
» In P side they fall in holes.
» Now electrons move from
hole to hole.
» Majority carrier currents
flow in two regions towards junction.
» This is large current called forward current IF.

36
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction Diode
– Reverse biasing
» P side is connected with –ve and N side with +ve
terminal of DC voltage.
» All electrons in N side are flushed out and more +ve
ions created in depletion layer.
» Holes flushed out
from P side, more –ve
ions created in depletion
layer
» Depletion layer widens

37
Lecture 1: Semiconductor Diode

• PN Junction Diode
– Reverse biasing
» Only as many electrons can enter P region that equal
electrons there. They cross depletion layer due to high
energy and fall into holes in N region, making hole current
moving towards junction
» The small current is
made of minority carrier
and is called reverse
current IR.

38