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4 Applications: The MOSFET

MOSFET application Almost all electronics and
appliances, including personal computers, contain
millions of silicon MOSFETs on a thumbnail sized
chip
Heatsink and cooling Within a computer most
MOSFETs are located on the microprocessor chip,
mounted on the motherboard and conspicuously
cooled by its own heat sink and cooling fan
Load line The load line represents the drain current
versus the drain voltage as determined by the resistive
load. The intersection between the load line and the
MOSFET characteristics provide the operating points
for each gate voltage
1 Volt gate voltage As a gate voltage larger than the
threshold voltage is applied, the charge on the gate
attracts an equal and opposite charge in the channel

Microprocessor chip The microprocessor chip itself 2 Volt gate voltage A larger gate voltage results in a
is mounted in an electronic package with hundreds of larger charge on the gate and in the channel, resulting
interconnecting pins and connected to the chip by in a larger drain current
hundreds of tiny bond wires
3 Volt gate voltage The larger drain current in turn
Chip cross-section A cross-section of the chip results in a larger voltage drop across the resistive
reveals multiple layers of tiny wires above the load and hence a lower drain voltage as can be
MOSFETs, which are embedded in the silicon observed on the load line
substrate
4 Volt gate voltage The lower drain voltage results in
MOSFET structure The MOSFET consists of two a smaller depletion layer width between the drain and
conducting regions, called source and drain, on each the substrate
side of the channel that is controlled by the gate
electrode 5 Volt gate voltage An even larger gate voltage
eventually causes the MOSFET to operate in the
MOSFET biasing The MOSFET is biased by linear region
applying a voltage to the drain through a current-
limiting resistive load and by applying a variable gate
voltage.

0.4 Applications: The Laser Diode

Laser Diode Package Laser diodes come in a Energy Band Diagrams Energy band diagrams are
compact transistor-like package with two or more presented at several bias voltages. The recombination
electrical leads. of electrons and holes in the quantum well and the
emission of photons from the quantum well are
Laser Diode Chip Inside the package is the tiny visualized as well.
semiconductor chip, containing the laser cavity.
Lasing Lasing occurs when stimulated emission
Vertical Layer Structure The chip contains a stack causes the amplification of photons confined to the
of epitaxial layers with different doping and lasing mode. Photons propagating along the
compositions that provide optical and electrical waveguide mode bounce back and forth between the
confinement. front and back mirror. A diverging beam emerges
from the laser diode package.
Flatband Diagram Energy band diagrams provide an
insight into the flow of electrons and holes in a
semiconductor laser diode and the recombination of
those carriers resulting in the emission of photons.
The flatband diagram is directly related to the
aluminum fraction.

0.4 Applications: The Photodiode

Photodiode Package A photodiode is packaged into Photodiode Chip The photodiode chip contains the
a small can with two leads and an optical window on actual photodiode with a characteristic round top
top contact ring attached to the bonding pad

Photodiode Illumination Inside the package is the Photon Absorption Incident photons enter the
actual photodiode chip, illuminated through the semiconductor and are gradually absorbed as they
optical window with the incident light often focused penetrate the semiconductor
by a lens
Electron-hole Pair Generation Electron-hole pairs
Internal Connections Wire bonds connect the are formed as the photon is absorbed. These carriers
external leads to the photodiode chip. One connection then drift towards the region where they are majority
is made to the top of the chip and one to the back of carriers
the chip. The back contact also acts as ground and is
connected to the case