ELEC 415

Semiconductor Devices: Physics, Design and Analysis

3 credits

Design and Analysis

Physics of operation, and design and analysis of semiconductor devices of topical interest, e.g., solar cells, LEDs, high-speed MOSFETs, high-frequency HBTs, low-noise HEMTs.

Course Description

This course is about semiconductor devices of topical importance. The devices to be covered in 2009 are solar cells, light-emitting diodes, and transistors. You will learn how these devices work, how they are made, how they are designed, and how they are analyzed. For solar cells, the emphasis will be on Si multicrystalline cells. The prospects for photovoltaics as a viable source of renewable energy will be discussed. For LEDS, high-brightess and white-light diodes will be covered. The
prospects for LEDs significantly reducing the energy used in general lighting will be discussed. For transistors, BJTs, HBTs, MOSFETs, MESFETs and HEMTs will be covered. You will learn which of these transistors are suited to particular applications, e.g., high-speed digital switching, high-frequency analog amplification, high-power drivers, low-noise amplification, semiconductor memory, nanoelectronics.

Course Objective

To provide a solid foundation in the physics of semiconductors so that students will be able to not only understand current devices and exploit them in novel applications, but also appreciate the workings of new semiconductor devices as they materialize and evolve in future years. The material is presented rigorously, and this is not a survey course.

Textbook

“Understanding Modern Transistors and Diodes” by D.L. Pulfrey

 

Prerequisite

ONE of:
ELEC 315 – Electronic Materials and Devices
PHYS 304 – Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

More Information

UBC Course Page