Course Title and Code

Solid State Devices (EE3010A)

Programme

UG

Course Credit

3-0-0-3 (Lecture-Tutorial-Practical-Total Credits)

Course Category

Core

Target Discipline

BTech Electrical

Prerequisite

Nil

Course Content

Topics Lectures
Introduction: Solids, crystals and electronic grade materials direct & indirect bandgap, elemental & compound semiconductors, 2D materials 2
Equilibrium carrier concentration: Thermal equilibrium, steady state, intrinsic semiconductor – band models (concept of hole, density of states, and Fermi level), extrinsic semiconductor – band models (density of states and Fermi level) 4
Excess carriers: Recombination and generation of carriers, injection level, lifetime, direct and indirect semiconductors 4
Carrier transport: Random motion, drift and diffusion 4
Procedure for analyzing semiconductor devices: Basic equations and approximations, equations of state – Continuity and Poisson equation 4
p-n Junction: energy band diagram, derivation of dc and ac characteristics, Optoelectronic devices: LEDs, Photovoltaics, Imagers 9
Bipolar junction transistors 4
Metal-semiconductor junctions 3
MOS Junction: C-V characteristics, threshold voltage, body effect 4
Metal Oxide Field Effect Transistor: physics, characteristics and modelling 4

Course Objectives

This is a basic course on solid-state devices. The aim of this course is to introduce students to the electronic properties of semiconductors and semiconductor devices. They will also be introduced to the impact of solid-state device capabilities and limitations on electronic circuit performance. In the process, they will be introduced to the basic tools with which newly developed devices and other semiconductor applications can be studied.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the students should have:

  • a fundamental understanding of the factors that influence the carrier concentration in semiconductors.
  • an understanding of the behaviour of p-n junctions, MS contacts, BJT, MOS, and MOSFET devices.
  • a fundamental understanding of the influence of different materials and device design on the performance of aforementioned devices.
  • apply appropriate mathematical techniques and approximations to compute device parameters.

Text Books

  • B. G. Streetman and S. Banerjee, “Solid State Electronic Devices,” Pearson Education India; Seventh edition (2015), ISBN-10: 9332555087, ISBN-13: 978-9332555082.
  • R. F. Pierret, “Semiconductor Device Fundamentals,” Pearson 2nd edition, ISBN-10: 0201543931, ISBN-13: 978-0201543933.
  • M. S. Tyagi, “Introduction to Semiconductor Materials and Devices,” Wiley (2008), ISBN-10: 8126518677, ISBN-13: 978-8126518678.

References

  • S. M. Sze and K. K. Ng, “Physics of Semiconductor Devices,” Wiley-Interscience, 3rd Edition, ISBN 978-0-471-14323-9.
  • Y. Taur and T. H. Ning, “Fundamentals of Modern VLSI Devices,” Cambridge University Press, ISBN-13: 9780511601538.
  • A. DasGupta and N. DasGupta, “Semiconductor Devices: Modelling and Technology,” Prentice Hall India Learning Private Limited (2004), ISBN-10: 812032398X, ISBN-13: 978-8120323988.
  • S. Karmalkar, “Solid state devices,” NPTEL video lectures: NPTEL Lectures.

Reviewer Comments

Reviewer 1:

  • Comment 1: This looks fine. One suggestion is to keep the book by Taur and Ning in reference and replace it with one by Robert Pierret as the textbook (as this a 1st level course).
  • Reply: We thank the reviewer for the feedback. We agree with the reviewer’s suggestion, and have modified the text book and references section accordingly.
  • Comment 2: Don't you need a tutorial hour to solve problems? What is the rationale for reducing credits for core courses? Is the total credits still the same or reduced now?
  • Reply: Earlier, the core course credit was 4 (tutorial hour was explicitly accounted for). Now, it is 3. Since we do not end up having tutorial sessions every week, we intend to integrate it with the lecture hours itself.

Reviewer 2:

  • Comment 1: While your course may primarily focus on Silicon devices, under Sl. No. 1 & 2, it may be good to talk about other semiconductors for half a lecture (direct & indirect bandgap elemental & compound semiconductors like Ge, GaAs, GaN, 2D materials).
  • Reply: We thank the reviewer for the feedback. We agree with the reviewer’s suggestion, and have modified the course content accordingly.
  • Comment 2: Under Sl. No. 6, out of 9 lectures, you can have 1 lecture (or at least half lecture) on devices based on light-matter interaction: LEDs, Photovoltaics, Imagers and relate it to gadgets that students use in their everyday life.
  • Reply: We thank the reviewer for the feedback. We agree with the reviewer’s suggestion, and have modified the course content accordingly.
  • Comment 3: It may be good to discuss BJTs immediately after p-n junctions i.e. Sl no. 10 may be moved to 7).
  • Reply: We thank the reviewer for the feedback. We agree with the reviewer’s suggestion, and have modified the course content accordingly.

Reviewer 3:

  • Comment 1: Looks okay to me. Should BJT be introduced before MOSFET? Also, few other types of devices can be briefly introduced (like JFET, HEMT etc., and some optoelectronic devices) – to enhance the outlook.
  • Reply: We thank the reviewer for the feedback. We agree with the reviewer’s suggestion, and have modified the course content accordingly.