Semiconductor Physics and

Devices

Prof. Ray Hua Horng

Office: ED4 509 Room

rhh@nctu.edu.tw

2019/9/9
 Contents of this class

 Introduce the course

 Describe the achievement evaluation

 Students introduce yourselves

 OUTLINE

 Introduction
 Part 1 Semiconductor Basic
Properties
 Mid-term Examination
 Part 2 Semiconductor Device
 Final Examination

p.s. We will have a quiz before lesson every week.

 Part 1 Semiconductor

 Energy Bandgaps and Carrier

Concentration in Thermal Equilibrium

 Carrier Transport Phenomena

 Part 2 Semiconductor Devices

 P-N Junction
 BJT and Related Devices
 MOS Capacitor and MOSFET
 Advanced MOSFET and Related
Devices
 MESFET and Related Devices
 LEDs and Lasers
 PD and Solar cells
 Text Book

Semiconductor Devices
Physics and Technology

THIRD EDITION

Authors: S. M. Sze and M. K. Lee

Publication : John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

(02-77053376; 歐亞書局)
 Grades

 Attendance rate (20%)

 Quiz (20%)
 Mid-Term Exam. (30%)
 Final Exam. (30%)
 Students

 What is your name?

 What is your background?
 Who is your adviser?
 Which field is your research?
 Technology Innovations
Fundamentally changed the way we live

https://medium.com/global-silicon-valley/the-evolution-of-mobile-computing-d273f23eda61

Super computer for the landing of the Moon

vs. Smart phone today
 Semiconductor devices

1998

 Sales volume of the Semiconductor-device-based electronics

industry in the past 30 years.
 Gross world product (GWP) of auto, electronics,
semiconductor and steel.
A History : Electronic Integration
Vacuum tube
Could we still use discrete
electronic components?
A Tale of Two Materials
 Basic Devices Building Blocks

 The p-n junction is a key building block for most

semiconductor devices, and p-n junction theory serves as
the foundation of the physics of semiconductor devices.
 By combining two p-n junctions, that is, by adding
another p-type semiconductor, we form the p-n-p bipolar
transistor
 If we combine three p-n junctions to form a p-n-p-n
structure, it is a switching device called a thyristor.
 Basic Devices Building Blocks
Heterojunction

The building block is the heterojunction interface, that is, an

interface formed between two dissimilar semiconductors.
For example, we can use gallium arsenide (GaAs) and
aluminum arsenide (AlAs) to form a heterojunction.
Heterojunctions are the key components for high-speed and
photonic devices.
 Basic Devices Building Blocks

MOS

 The structure can be considered a combination of a metal-oxide

interface and an oxide-semiconductor interface.
 By using the MOS structure as the gate and two p-n junctions as
the source and drain, we can form a MOSFET (metal-oxide-
semiconductor field-effect transistor).
 The MOSFET is the most important device for advanced
integrated circuits, which contains tens of thousands of devices
per integrated circuit chip.
 Major Semiconductor Devices
SiC Schottky
diode
 First Transistor
Inventors: Bardeen,
Brattain and Shockley
Structure:
Metal contacts: Au foil
E Semiconductor: Ge
B
How to demonstrate?
One metal: +
C Second metal: -
Input signal: amplified

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdYHljZi7ys
 E

The transistor heralded in the “Information Age” and paved the way
for the development of almost every electronic device, from radios to
computers to space shuttles. For their monumental “researches on
semiconductors and their discovery of the transistor effect,"4 Bardeen,
Shockley and Brattain were presented with the Nobel Prize in Physics
in 1956.
 MOSFET
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz62t-q_KEc)
The most important device
for advanced integrated
circuits is the MOSFET,
which was reported by
Kahng and Atalla13 in 1960.
20 µm
Structure:
Gate length : 20 um
Si Gate oxide thickness: 100 nm
Semiconductor: Si

An ultrasmall MOSFET with gate length of 5 nm has been

demonstrated.
This device can serve as the basis for the most advanced IC chips
containing over one trillion (> 1012) devices.
 Optoelectronic Device

In 1962, Hall et al. first achieved lasing in semiconductors.

In 1963, Kroemer, Alferov and Kazarinov proposed the

heterostructure laser. These proposals laid the foundation for
modern laser diodes, which can be operated continuously at
RT

Laser diodes are the key components for a wide range of

applications, including digital video disk, optical-fiber
communication, laser printing, and atmospheric-pollution
monitoring.
 Microwave Devices (196x)
Three important microwave devices were invented or realized in
the next 3 years.
The first device is the transferred-electron diode (TED; also
called Gunn diode) by Gunn in 1963. The TED is used
extensively in such millimeter-wave applications as detection
systems, remote controls, and microwave test instruments.

The second device is the IMPATT diode; its operation was first
observed by Johnston et al. in 1965. IMPATT diodes can
generate the highest continuous wave (CW) power at millimeter-
wave frequencies of all semiconductor devices. They are used in
radar systems and alarm systems.

The third device is the MESFET, invented by Meadz in 1966. It is

a key device for monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC).
Nonvolatile Semiconductor Memory

Inventors: Kahng and Sze (1967)

Device function: it can retain its stored information for 10 to 100
years when the power is switched off.
Floating Gate: charge story.
 1970-xxx
The charge-coupled device (CCD) was invented by Boyle and
Smith in 1970. CCD is used extensively in video cameras and in
optical sensing applications.
The resonant tunneling diode (RTD) was first studied by Chang et in
1974. RTD is the basis for most quantum-effect devices, which offer
extremely high density, ultrahigh speed, and enhanced functionality
because it permits a greatly reduced number of devices to perform a
given circuit function.
In 1980, Minura et al developed the MODFET (modulation-doped
field-effect transistor). With the proper selection of heterojunction
materials, the MODFET is expected to be the fastest field-effect
transistor.
Since the invention of the bipolar transistor in 1947, the number and
variety of semiconductor devices have increased tremendously as
advanced technology, new materials, and broadened comprehension
have been applied to the creation of new devices.

In Part II
We consider all the devices listed in Table 1. It is hoped that this
book can serve as a basis for understanding other devices not
included here and perhaps not even conceived of at the present time.
 Key Semiconductor Technologies
(Bulk fabrication)
In 1918, Czochralski developed a liquid-solid monocomponent
growth technique. The Czochralski growth is the process used to
grow most of the crystals from which silicon wafers are produced.

Another growth technique was developed by Bridgman in 1925. The

Bridgman technique has been used extensively for the growth of
gallium arsenide and related compound semiconductor crystals.

Although the semiconductor properties of silicon have been widely

studied since early 1940, the study of semiconductor compounds was
neglected for a long time.

In 1952, Welker" noted that gallium arsenide and its related 111-V
compounds were semiconductors. He was able to predict their
characteristics and to prove them experimentally. The technology and
devices of these compounds have since been actively studied.
• The diffusion of impurity atoms in semiconductors is important
for device processing. The basic diffusion theory was considered
by Fick in 1855. The idea of using diffusion techniques to alter
the type of conductivity in silicon was disclosed in a patent in
1952 by Pfan, the ancient lithography process was applied to
semiconductor device fabrication by Andrus-photosensitive etch-
resistant polymers (photoresist) for pattern transfer.
• Lithography is a key technology for the semiconductor industry.
The continued growth of the industry has been the direct result of
improved lithographic technology. Lithography is also a
significant economic factor, currently representing over 35% of
the integrated-circuit manufacturing cost.
Semiconductor Technologies
The oxide masking method was developed by Frosch and Derrick
33 in 1957. They found that an oxide layer can prevent most
impurity atoms from diffusing through it.

In the same year, the epitaxial growth process based on chemical

vapor deposition technique was developed by Sheftal et a1.

Epitaxy, derived from the Greek word epi, meaning on, and taxis,
meaning arrangement, describes a technique of crystal growth to
form a thin layer of semiconductor materials on the surface of a
crystal that has a lattice structure identical to that of the crystal.

This method is important for the improvement of device

performance and the creation of novel device structures.
In 1958, Shocklef proposed the method of using ion implantation to
dope the semiconductors. Ion implantation has the capability of
precisely controlling the number of implanted dopant atoms.

Diffusion and ion implantation can complement each other for

impurity doping. For example, diffusion can be used for high-
temperature, deep-junction processes, whereas ion implantation can
be used for lower-temperature, shallow-junction processes.

In 1959, a rudimentary integrated circuit (IC)w as made by Kilby. It

contained one bipolar transistor, three resistors, and one capacitor,
all made in germanium and connected by wire bonding-a hybrid
circuit.
Also in 1959, Noyce proposed the monolithic IC by fabricating all
devices in a single semiconductor substrate (monolith means single
stone) and connecting the devices by aluminum metallization.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm67wbB5GmI
First monolithic IC

Flip-flop ckt containing 6 devices.

Interconnection lines: Al metal

obtained by etching

The invention laid the foundation

for rapid growth of
microelectronics industry.
First Microprocessor

Inventors: Hoff et al (1971)

Put the entire central

processing unit (CPU) of a
simple computer on one chip.

Chip size: 3 mm x 4 mm

2300 MOSFETs

Operated at 0.1 MIPS (million

instruction per seconds)
 Technology Trends

Smallest line width of an IC has been reduced: 13 %/year.

The min. feature length will shrink : 10 nm at 2020.

Exponential Increase in DRAM and
NVSM
• DRAM density
increased by a factor of
2 every 18 months
(1978-2000)

• NVSM density
increase to 1000 Gb or
1 terabits (1012 bits) at
2015.
DRAM density versus the year
Growth curves for different technology
drivers
1950-1970: the bipolar transistor
was the technology driver.

1970 to 1990: the DRAM and the

microprocessor based on MOS
devices were the technology
drivers because of the rapid
growth of personal computers and
advanced electronic systems.

1990: Nonvolatile semiconductor memory has been the technology

driver, mainly because of the rapid growth of portable electronic
systems.
 What do we learn in ch.00?

• Major Semiconductor Devices

• Key Semiconductor Technologies