EE2 Lecture 1

EE2 Physics for Electrical Engineers
Lecture 1
Introduction to Physical Electronics
Course Instructor: Marko Sokolich
28 September, 2015
2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved
Posted on the CCLE Website
Survey of Previous Coursework

EE2 Sylabus
Contact Information
Class Schedule/Office Hours
Grading Policy/Exam Schedule
Teaching Assistant/Discussion Sections
Textbook/References
Course Outline
Course Philosophy
Solid foundation in fundamental principles

Qualitative Understanding first, Quantitative Skill second
Conceptual foundations of Quantum Mechanics
Mental and numerical models of physical processes
Thorough treatment of the physics of pn Junctions
Introduction to a wide variety of 2-terminal semiconductor devices
Each illustrates a physical principle
Connect each to applications
Be able to understand operation of novel devices
Mastery of material requires considerable self-study

Not all concepts will be covered in lectures
Homework is an important component of success
Homework will require reading ahead of the materials in lecture
The Importance of Homework
Lecture
Quote of the Day...

I hear and I forget.
forget I see and I remember.
remember
"I
I do and I understand
understand."
Homework
-- attributed to
Kong FuziConfucius
(551 479 bce)
Your Notes,
Slides and
Text
The importance of Homework has been known for at least 2500 years !
Why study quantum mechanics?

Classical, Newtonian, physics breaks down
at atomic dimensions.
Forget atoms! Simple, macroscopic things
cant be explained
Why are quartz and diamond transparent?
Why does conductivity sometimes increase with T?
How can current flow be asymmetric?
The behavior of semiconductors cannot be

explained without quantum mechanics.
Fine, but then why study semiconductors?
Semiconductor Devices
Where are they?

Computers
Watches
Smart Phones
Cameras
CD Players
Satellites
Undersea Cable
Automobiles
Airplanes
Lights
The Cloud
The Internet
Humans/Dogs/Whales etc.
Interstellar space
Semiconductors: Historical Perspective

Where are they?
What did they replace?
When?
Computers
1960s
Watches
Mechanical Calculators,
Tubes, Magnetic cores
Mechanical Movements
1970s
Cell Phones
[Made them possible]
1980s
CD Players
Mechanical stylus, Tubes
1980
Satellites
[Made them possible]
1957
Radio, TV
Vacuum Tubes
Automobiles
Mechanical timing, Maps
1950s
1970s
1980s
Airplanes
Crew Members (Navigator)
1980s
Traffic Lights
Light Bulbs
1990s
Smart Phones
Cell Phones
2000
Ambient Lighting
Incandescent and Fluorescent
2010
Imagine a day without silicon: 1977
First Star Wars movie is playing in theaters

Apple computer launches their first commercial success (Apple II)
Voyager 1,2 spacecraft have just been launched
With an incredible 40 kilobits of on-board memory (80,000 transistors)
A day without silicon
Leave your calculator at home
Dont go to the computer lab
Drive wherever
Watch TV (at parents house 10 year old set)
Play your LP records all day and night (tube amp, turntable)
Go to the Star Wars movie!
Imagine a day without silicon 2015

Yet another Star Wars Movie!
Voyager 1 and 2 have reached interstellar space (in 2013)
One Apple iPhone 6s processor (A8) has 2 Billion transistors
The equivalent of 2 Million Apple II* computers from 1977
*In its first 4 years Apple sold over 300,000 units!
A day without silicon:

No driving
No smartphone, laptop, calculator, FitBit, watch
Wooden center Bball and Weights only, no elliptical/treadmill!
No music, no TV, no gaming
No movie digital projector
Go to the beach
Hike in the Santa Monica Mountains
Stay away from civilization
10
Semiconductors: The Future (my predictions 2002)

Ambient Lighting
Incandescent Light bulbs will be as hard to find by 2015 as vacuum tubes
are today?
Pervasive Computing
Microprocessors will be imbedded in many previously low-tech systems.
Segway (personal scooter) uses 3 microprocessors just to maintain
balance. These will become pervasive.
Cars wont crash.
Communications
Cell phones will be the size of a watch and operate without batteries
(scavenging power from the environment)
Fiber to the home will become indispensable.
Personal Robots will become commonplace by 2010 for limited functions.
Microprocessor and memory industries will become mature and cease to
grow in dollar volume. All semiconductor sales growth will be in sensors,
ambient lighting and communications.
The future aint what it used to be

Yogi Berra (1925-2015)
11
Semiconductors: The Future (2015 Predictions)
Pilotless full size aircraft (cargo 2020, passenger ?)

Consumer priced floor to ceiling video screen (2020)
Silicon minds (Siri on steroids by 2025)
All-body monitors (complete personal health monitoring by 2025)
50% of cars sold are self-driving (2025)
Driverless Pizza delivery (2025)
90% of cars sold are self-driving (2030)
Biometric PIN credit/debit cards (2030)
Cash not accepted at 50% of all businesses (2030)
50% of California electricity from solar (2030)
Robot soccer team beats human world cup team (2050)
The singularity [a machine superior to a human] (2070+)
It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future.
Yogi Berra (1925-2015)
12
Semiconductors: The Future (Your Prediction)
Provide one prediction about the future of technology (somehow

involving semiconductors)
At least 20 years in the future (2025 or later)
Falsifiable precise enough for a definitive yes or no
Example of a good prediction: 10% of Americans will own
personal vehicles capable of flight by 2027 easy to check
Your choice of anonymous or with attribution (anonymous
unless you sign your name)
Make a prediction about something you know better than your
peers (a hobby, an interest outside of school, a unique work
experience)
13
Solid state electronics in a nutshell

(A pictorial outline of the syllabus)
Experimental Observations
Allowed Energy States in Atoms
Semiconductor Crystals
Energy Bands in Solids
Metals, Insulators and Semiconductors
Electrons and Holes
Counting charge carriers
Generation and Recombination
Electrical Conductivity
Junctions
Solids and Light
Next: A whirlwind review of the entire course in 20 slides!

14
Early semiconductor observations
In 1833 Michael Faraday observed that the

conductivity of silver sulfide increased with
increasing temperature no metal behaved this
way.
In 1874, 24-year old Ferdinand Braun noted that
current flowed only one way when he probed a
lead sulfide crystal with a thin metal wire the first
observation of diode behavior.
Neither effect can be explained without Quantum Mechanics
15
Experimental Observations: Crystals
Max Von Laue won the 1914

Nobel Prize in Physics for observing
the interference effects of X-rays
(Roentgen Rays) with crystals
in 1912.
Atoms in some materials are arranged in a
uniform lattice with long-range order
16
Experimental Observations: Photoelectric Effect
Emitter
Collector
Blue Light - current flows

Red Light - no current
Battery Voltage
BlueLight
Red
Light
vacuum
Red Green Blue
+
Battery
Ammeter
Light behaves as particles. Electrons can interact

only with a single light particle (photon).
Electrons are bound to the metal with energy eVo
Frequency of Light
eV = h - eVo
Observations by Lenard in 1902
Explanation by Einstein in 1905
Einstein won Nobel Prize in 1921
17
Experimental Observations: Spectral Lines
Unlike light from the

sun which contains
all the colors of the
rainbow, elements emit
a distinct signature
of spectral lines.
The simplest elements
H and He have the fewest
spectral lines.
18
Potential Well of a Nucleus

F = eE 1/r2
E = d/dr 1/r
e
r
An electron in the attractive

potential of a nucleus can
only have one of a set of
discrete or quantized
energy levels.
The lowest of these levels is
called the ground state.
Potential energy of an electron is e
Transitions between states

result in the absorption or
emission of a quanta of energy
(a photon)
Nucleus looks roughly like a box potential
19

F = eE 1/r2
E = d/dr 1/r
e
r

energy levels.

(a photon)
20

F = eE 1/r2
E = d/dr 1/r
e
r

energy levels.

(a photon)
21
Crystal Lattices
Some elements array themselves in

highly regular crystals with very long
range order. Silicon is an example.
The distance between adjacent atoms
is a few Angstroms (tenths of
nanometers) so that electrons are
shared between adjacent atoms.
The order imposes restrictions on the
wave functions of electronsthey
must have properties similar to the
symmetry of the lattice.
The high purity with which such
crystals can be grown results in the
ability to change their properties with
miniscule addition of impurities.
22
Atoms in Proximity: Splitting of Quantum States
E0
E0 +
Atoms far apart do not have electron

E0
wave functions that overlap. They
have the same ground state energy for
all electrons.
E0 +
E0
E0
As atoms are moved
closer together the energy
levels split
The closer they get the

greater the splitting
23
Periodic Array of Potential Wells: Energy Bands
E0 +
Eg.
E0
As many states as there are atoms in the solid.

So close together that they form into bands.
If each atom contributed one electron then in
the ground (lowest energy) state the lower (valence)
band of the solid is filled with electrons and the
higher (conduction) band is empty.
In between there is an energy gap Eg.
24
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors
Empty
Filled
Conduction band
Valence band
Conduction band
Empty
Metal
Eg ~ 5 V
Empty
Conduction band
Valence band
Eg ~ 1 V
Filled
Valence band
Filled
Insulator
Semiconductor
25
Semiconductors
III
IV
Large substrates available in Si, GaAs, Ge, InP

Carbon is an insulator and Tin (Sn) is a conductor
26
Crystal Engineering
Semiconductors can be
engineered by growing
different materials on top
of each other.
Any compound
along this line can
be grown on an InP
wafer
This can be done if the

lattice constant (the
spacing between unit cells)
is the same or similar.
Because semiconductors
want to array themselves in
a crystalline form this is
relatively straightforward
5.4310
27
Electrons and Holes: Thermal Excitation
+4
+3
+5
C
Si
Ge
Sn
B
Al
Ga
In
N
P
As
Sb
E
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
Hole
+4
+4
+4
+4
Free
Electron
28
Electrons and Holes: Doping
+4
+3
+5
C
Si
Ge
Sn
B
Al
Ga
In
N
P
As
Sb
Free
Electron
+4
+4
+5
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+3
+4
Hole
29
Semiconductor Statistics
Two state system in thermal*

equilibrium with a reservoir
0,
U0
* Systems can exchange energy
P ( )

exp
P ( 0)
kT
Ratio of the probability that
the system has energy to
the probability that it has
energy 0
30
Semiconductor Statistics
Two state system in thermal
and diffusive* equilibrium with
a reservoir
0,
U0
P (1, )
F
exp
P (0,0)
kT
Normalize
The system can be in a state

with 0 particles and 0 energy
or in a state with 1 particle
and energy
* Systems can exchange energy and
particles.
P (1, ) P(0,0) 1
1
P (1, )
F
exp
1
kT
F is called the Fermi energy
31
Electrons and Holes: Optical Excitation

photon
+4
+3
+5
C
Si
Ge
Sn
B
Al
Ga
In
N
P
As
Sb
Free
Electron
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
+4
A photon of sufficient energy striking

the semiconductor creates an electron-hole
pair.
32
Excess Carriers: Diffusion, Recombination
Illumination creates electrons

and holes (carriers)
semiconductor
t=0
As time passes the
carriers diffuse
and recombine
t1
t2
33
Excess Carriers: Drift
Illumination creates electrons

and holes (carriers)
Apply Voltage Across

the sample
V
semiconductor
t=0
t1
As time passes the

carriers drift, diffuse
and recombine
t2
34
Motion of Electrons: Mobility and Velocity

Free space electrons move with constant acceleration in a constant
electric field: F= eE = ma
In a solid electrons do not move freelythey periodically collide with
the atoms in the lattice:
Velocity is proportional to field for low fields < ~ 1V/m
Proportionality constant is called mobility ():
v =
Nearly constant velocity at high fields

Peak velocity at intermediate fields
InGaAs
InP
GaAs
Peak velocity up to 0.3 m/picosecond (ps)
Si
Saturated velocity 0.1 to 0.2 m/ps
0.1V/m
1V/m
35
Electrical Conductivity
Recall from your Electromagnetics course that: J = E or J = E (the

macroscopic analog is V = IR) where is the conductivity and is
the resistivity (=1/ )
Current density J (Amperes/cm2 = Coulombs/sec/cm2) is
proportional to the number of charge carriers, their individual
charge and their velocity: J = nev = neE so that the conductivity is
given by: = ne
In a semiconductor we can manipulate the density of charge
carriers in various waysthus we can change the conductivity.
36
Conductivity
L
Area
Semiconductor 1
J nev neE
I Area J AJ
I
1
1
R
R
V EL E
V
L
I AneE Ane
V
L
37
Junctions
Metal,
Insulator or
Semiconductor 2
Semiconductor 1
+V
pn Diodes
MS Diodes
tunneling
38
Ideal Diode IV Characteristic

2.5E-03
I I 0 e
eV
kT
2.0E-03
1.5E-03
I(A)
1.0E-03
5.0E-04
I 0 4 10 15 Amperes
0.0E+00
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Diode turns-on to mA level at about 0.65V

39
Solar Cells: Optically Generated Current
If there is uniform EHP generation in the sample (Gop) then the

optically generated current is given by:
I op eGop Ln L p W A
Iop
-xp-Ln
-xp
xn xn+Lp
40
Solar Cells: Power Delivered to a Resistive Load

The power from a solar cell must be delivered into a resistive load.
The load can be chosen to maximize the power.
140
Im
Iop
RL
The equivalent circuit of the solar

cell is a diode in parallel with an
independent current source Iop
The resistor can be depicted on
the IV characteristic as shown.
The power delivered to RL is ImVm.
RL
100
Current, mA
Full Sun
120
80
Half Sun
60
40
0.13 Sun
20
0
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
Voltage, V
Vm
41
Light Emitting Diodes
LED and Lasers require a population inversion of carriers.

This means that an excess of electrons exists in the conduction
band and and excess of holes exists in the valence band in the
same space location.
One way to do this is with a heavily doped p+n+ junction in forward
bias.
Fn
Fp
The wavelength of the emitted light is related to the bandgap as:

Eg
42
LEDs Semiconductor Choices
LEDs are primarily used as

visible light sources.
As a result, the visible
spectrum is our best guide
to LED materials.
For many years a blue LED
was not available because
there were no suitable
semiconductors in the
blue.
Now GaN is used for bright
blue LEDs
43
Summary of Course Content

Physics of Semiconductors
QM of Solids: Energy Bands
Charge Carriers
Drift and Diffusion
Interaction with Light
Generation and Recombination
Semiconductor Junctions
Metal-semiconductor
pn junction
Circuit (macroscopic) Models
2 Terminal devices (diodes) [a very brief intro]
Junction diode
Tunnel diode
Solar cell
Light emitting diode
44

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EE2 Physics for Electrical Engineers

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Posted on the CCLE Website

Survey of Previous Coursework

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Solid foundation in fundamental principles

Mastery of material requires considerable self-study

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

The Importance of Homework

Quote of the Day...

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Why study quantum mechanics?

The behavior of semiconductors cannot be

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Fine, but then why study semiconductors?

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Where are they?

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Semiconductors: Historical Perspective

What did they replace?

[Made them possible]

Mechanical stylus, Tubes

[Made them possible]

Mechanical timing, Maps

Crew Members (Navigator)

Incandescent and Fluorescent

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Imagine a day without silicon: 1977

First Star Wars movie is playing in theaters

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Imagine a day without silicon 2015

A day without silicon:

Semiconductors: The Future (my predictions 2002)

The future aint what it used to be

Semiconductors: The Future (2015 Predictions)

Pilotless full size aircraft (cargo 2020, passenger ?)

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Semiconductors: The Future (Your Prediction)

Provide one prediction about the future of technology (somehow

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Solid state electronics in a nutshell

Next: A whirlwind review of the entire course in 20 slides!

Early semiconductor observations

In 1833 Michael Faraday observed that the

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Experimental Observations: Crystals

Max Von Laue won the 1914

Experimental Observations: Photoelectric Effect

Blue Light - current flows

Red Green Blue

Light behaves as particles. Electrons can interact

Experimental Observations: Spectral Lines

Unlike light from the

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Potential Well of a Nucleus

An electron in the attractive

Potential energy of an electron is e

Transitions between states

Nucleus looks roughly like a box potential

2015 Marko Sokolich All Rights Reserved

Potential Well of a Nucleus

An electron in the attractive

Potential energy of an electron is e

Transitions between states