ECEN3320 Semiconductor Devices


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Course information

Instructor information

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Grading


About the course:

This course provides the basic understanding of a variety of semiconductor devices. We will start with a discussion of the device which is used most, the Metal-Oxide-Silicon-Field-Effect- Transistor (MOSFET). We will quickly find out that we need to know more about semiconductor physics to understand the MOSFET in more detail. The MOSFET analysis and the related semiconductor physics will take up the first half of the semester. After that we will survey other important devices which require knowledge of minority carrier transport. This includes the p-n diode, solar cells, photodetectors, LEDs, laser diodes and the Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT).

This course will provide the link between device models such as those used in SPICE and the devices geometry and material parameters. It will enable you to analyse and design most common devices. It will also prove to be a valuable introduction for those of you who will be involved in integrated circuit design, simulation, layout, fabrication and testing of integrated circuits.

We will cover most of chapters 2 through 10 in the book, be it in a non-traditional order. The order is dictated by the just-in-time approach used to study the background material, so that we will interrupt the discussion of the MOSFET to learn about the required background material. The detailed order can be found in the course outline and in the textbook on the web.

Grading will be based on homework, exams, and the final exam. There will be 3 exams in class, and these grades combined with the homework will count 60 % of the course grade. The final exam (T. Dec 16th 11:30-2:30 pm) will count 40 %. The reason for weighing the final exam so heavily is that in this course student usually understand the material much better as the semester progresses, and do well on the final compared with the earlier exams. Exams will test your ability to solve problems. This will require understanding of the material, some memorization, but most of all practice. The lectures are aimed at explaining the concepts, while the home work will provide you with practice. I therefore expect you to attend the lectures and turn in the home work on a regular basis.

The topics covered build on each other, so that what you learn early in the course will be used to understand later topics. Therefore, keep up with the schedule, do the homework, and don't get behind.


Bart J. Van Zeghbroeck, August 6, 1997