Overview

Indicative content includes:

• Review of semiconductors, p and n type doping
• Charge carrier transpost (e.g., drift, diffusion and generation-recombination mechanisms). Majority and minority carriers and minority carrier lifetime
• The Hall effect.
• p-n junction diodes operation explained in terms of energy band diagrams. Derivation of I-V characteristics of diode.
• Device fabrication technology for microelectronics and nanophotonics
• I-V characteristics of bipolar junction transistors.
• Punch-through, avalanche and Zener breakdown processes.
• Band diagrams for ohmic and rectifying contacts. Role of metal work function.
• The MOS capacitor. The MOSFET. Frequency response of the MOS capacitor. The mode of operation of a MOSFETs.
• MOSFET scaling; different scaling methods and the development of FINFETs, MESFET, JFET, Hetero-junctions and HEMT.
• Basic MOS circuitry, characterisation of inverter circuits; MOS-based memory elements
• Principles of light, ray optics and electromagnetics waves
• Polarisation and power reflection/refraction laws
• Optical interference as related to diffraction gratings, interferometers and resonators
• Optical waveguides, optical fibres and nanophotonic chips.
• Photons and the particle model of light. Optical properties of semiconductors
• Light detection, photovoltaics and solar cells
• Light emitting diodes, optical gain, population inversion and lasers

Learning Outcomes

• Explain and analyse the operation of pn junction diodes and bipolar transistors including device breakdown.

• Illustrate the properties and operation of MOS-based devices, including the fabrication processes necessary for building these devices.

• Related concepts in microelectronics and nanophotonics to explain the operation of semiconductor-based photonic devices such as solar cells, LEDs and lasers.

• Understand and explain the origin of drift, diffusion and generation-recombination in semiconductor devices and critically evaluate their contributions to the total device current.

• Understand the general principles of light (ray, wave and photon models) and use these to quantitatively analyse and explain concepts such as Fresnel refraction/reflection, diffraction, interference, resonance and waveguide modes.