Microelectronics Materials and Devices

Course Structure

1. Introduction
   • Microelectronics in everyday life and different industries; Common materials and devices in microelectronics
2. Crystal structure
   • Lattice, basis, unit cell, crystal planes, basic crystal structures (Cubic, bcc, fcc, diamond, zinc blende), periodicity in crystal structure (briefly Bragg Law and diffraction methods ).
3. Energy Bands
   • Bohr atomic model for single atom, energy levels in atoms, electronic configuration, many atoms and formation of energy bands; effect on electron transport in metals, semiconductors and dielectrics.
4. Dielectrics and other non-semiconductor materials in microelectronics
   • Polarisation, mechanisms of polarisation, frequency response, loss and relaxation, losses; dielectric breakdown; piezoelectrics; ferroelectrics.
5. Semiconductors
   • Density of states function, Fermi-Dirac statistics; equilibrium carrier concentrations, intrinsic carrier concentration, concepts of electrons and holes, concepts of drift and diffusion, Fermi level position, dopant atoms and energy levels, doping of semiconductors, energy band diagram, continuity equation, non equilibrium consideration, direct and indirect transitions, absorption and emission.
6. p-n junctions
   • Abrupt p-n Junction in thermal equilibrium, qualitative description of forward & reverse applied bias using band diagrams, application examples (p-n diode, BJT).
7. MOS capacitors
   • Ideal MOS capacitor, MOSCAP under D.C. bias, analysis of ideal MOS structure, deviations from ideality, capacitance-voltage characteristics.
8. Metal semiconductor contacts
   • Thermionic emission, Schottky effect, field emission, Schottky contacts, Ohmic contacts

Text and references:

• Principles of Electronic Materials and S.O. Kasap, 3rdEd., McGraw Hill
• Semiconductor Physics and Devices: Basic Principles, Donald A. Neamen, 4thEdition, McGraw Hill
• Advanced Semiconductor Fundamentals, Robert F. Pierret, 2ndEd, Pearson