Academics
  /  
Courses
  /  
Descriptions
ELEC_ENG 402: Advanced Electronic Devices


VIEW ALL COURSE TIMES AND SESSIONS

Prerequisites

ELEC_ENG 381, ELEC_ENG 384, any equivalent, or consent of instructor.

Description

Semiconductor optics, heterojunctions, quantum wells, superlattices and resonant tunneling. Field-effect and potential-effect devices. Hot-electron devices. Microwave devices.

REFERENCE TEXTS:

  1. S.M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices , Wiley, 1981
  2. S. M. Sze, ed., Modern Semiconductor Device Physics , Sze, Wiley,
  3. S. M. Sze, ed., High-Speed Semiconductor Devices
  4. C.Y. Chang, F. Kai, GaAs High-Speed Devices: Physics, Technology, and Circuit Applications , Wiley, 1994

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Hooman Mohseni

COURSE COORDINATOR: Prof. Hooman Mohseni

COURSE DIRECTOR: Prof. Manijeh Razeghi

COURSE GOALS: The course is designed to teach the physical principles and operational characteristics of advanced semiconductor electronic devices with emphasis on metal-oxide systems, bipolar, high-electron mobility, and field-effect transistors. Topics also include quantum point contact and tunneling devices. The course provides advanced background in solid state electronic devices and is intended to help students to continue advanced research in the variety of different branches of semiconductor microelectronics.

DETAILED COURSE TOPICS:

WEEK 1: Review: Carrier transport phenomena. Mobility. Diffusion. Basic equations for semiconductor device operation.

WEEK 2: Metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes. Si-SiO 2 metal-oxide-semiconductor diodes. Charge-coupled devices.

WEEK 3: Metal-semiconductor field effect transistors (MESFET). Metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET). MOSFET structures. Basic device characteristics.

WEEK 4: Modulation doped heterostructures. 2D electron gas formation, interface sheet carrier concentration. Heterostructure field effect transistors (HFET). Principles of operation. Gate leakage current.

WEEK 5: Wave properties of electrons and resonant tunneling. Resonant tunneling transistors. Realization of RTDs. Asymmetric barrier structures. Millimeter‑band oscillations from RTDs.

WEEK 6: Gunn effect and related devices.

WEEK 7: Impact ionization and avalanche processes in the junction. Avalanche gain. Ballistic injection devices. Hot electron transistors. Real space transfer devices.

WEEK 8: Quantum point contacts. Electron wave interference. Quasi-one-dimensional channel devices. Quantum interference devices.

WEEK 9: Monolithic microwave integrated circuits. Hybrid vs. monolithic approaches. Low-noise amplifiers. Nonlinearity. RF characteristics. Dynamic and thermal effects. FET vs. HBT power amplifiers.

WEEK 10: Integrated circuits. GaAs logic families. Data communication chip sets. Data conversion chip sets. Digital packaging.

GRADES:

  • Homeworks – 25%
  • Exams – 50%
  • Projects – 25%

COURSE OBJECTIVES: When a student completes this course, s/he will

  • understand the details of operation of the advanced semiconductor electronic devices,
  • know the parameters of electronic devices that govern their performance and limitations,
  • be familiar with tendency in contemporary microelectronics and principles of the nano-scale electronic devices.

ABET: 10 % Science, 90 % Engineering