Roll No.

National Institute of Technology Delhi

Name of the Examination: End-semester (M. Tech.) Dec. 2020
Branch : M. Tech. VLSI Semester : I
Title of the Course : Semiconductor Devices Course Code : EVL561

Time: 3 Hours Maximum Marks: 50

Note: All questions are necessary. Show the steps involved with the calculations. Use your time judiciously.
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Section A (Total: 16 marks)
Q. A1 Name the different kinds of bonds found in solids. [1]
Q. A2 Which experiment confirmed the wave nature of moving electrons? [1]
Q. A3 Write down the general time-dependent Schrodinger equation for a wavefunction (x,t). [1]
Q. A4 Why is the E-k diagram not completely parabolic in semiconductors? [1]
Q. A5 In a doped semiconductor, the difference (magnitude) between Ec and EF is 97 meV. Will it be
suitable in designing a Zener diode? Give a brief reason for your answer. [1]
Q. A6 Which of these is an inherited feature of a semiconductor LED: [1]
(a) Threshold gain (b) Directional output
(c) Large spectral width (d) Large output power
Q. A7 Choose the wrong statement related to a semiconductor photodiode: [1]
(a) There is a trade-off between sensitivity and range
(b) Transit time decreases with intrinsic region width
(c) Bandwidth decreases for smaller load resistance
(e) Average value of shot noise current is zero
Q. A8 Choose the wrong combination in a DUV semiconductor lithography tool: [1]
(a) Beam size reduction – Projection system (b) Aberration control - Illumination system
(c) Level sensor - Wafer stage (d) Beam uniformity control - Illumination system
Q. A9 Considering that GaN and Ge are having identical mobilities of holes and electrons at room
temperature, calculate the ratio of background currents in GaN and Ge. (Given: The bandgaps of
GaN and Ge are 3.4 eV and 0.68 eV, respectively.) [2]
Q. A10 Write a short note on Joyce-Dixon approximation in doped semiconductors. [2]
Q. A11 A silicon sample is doped with 1018 donor atoms per cm3. The position of the Fermi
level for this sample is EF = Ei + 0.45eV at 300 K. What fraction of the donors is ionized
in this semiconductor? (Given: Effective density of states = 3 x 1019 cm-3) [2]
Q. A12 Draw a perfectly-labelled circuit diagram for an Avalanche photodiode (APD). [2]
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 Section B (Total: 20 marks)
Q. B1 Describe the mechanism of degeneracy in semiconductors and then present a clear picture of
the consequent reduction in the energy bandgap. [3]
Q. B2 Suppose, a piece of semiconductor (of length l) is gradually doped (say, n-type). If the
semiconductor is still found to be in equilibrium, then draw and discuss the consequent energy
band diagram with all the features clearly represented on it. [3]
Q. B3 For a GaAs laser operating at a wavelength of 890 nm, calculate the mode spacing (in nm) for
a 0.3 mm long laser cavity. (Essentially use the following data: refractive index µ0 of GaAs active
medium at 890 nm = 3.8 and dµ/dλ = 2.5 µm-1) [3]
Q. B4 Discuss three performance parameters (with necessary expressions and units) of a
semiconductor lithography (wafer exposure) tool. [3]
Q. B5 Define the quantum efficiency and responsivity (with appropriate formulae) of a PIN
photodiode. In an antireflection coated PIN photodiode, the absorption coefficient at λ = 800 nm is 105 cm-1.
Find out the width of intrinsic region required to achieve a responsivity of 0.322 A/W. [4]
Q. B6 A Si sample is uniformly doped with 1015 As atoms/cm3 at T = 300K. If intrinsic
carrier concentration follows the formulation ni2 = 1.5x1033 T3 exp(-1.21eV/kT) (with k
as Boltzmann constant given in eV/K), where is the Fermi-level (EF) located relative
to intrinsic Fermi level (EI) at (a) T=300K and (b) T=1200K? [4]

Section C (14 marks)

Q. C1 Draw a perfectly-labelled diagram of a laser resonator cavity. The compound semiconductor
In1-xGaxAsyP1-y is lattice matched to another compound semiconductor InP when 9y = 20x. With
these considerations, the bandgap Eg (in eV) of InGaAsP is found to be following the equation as
written below:
Eg (y) = 1.35 – 0.72y + 0.12y2
If one has to design a laser source emitting 1550 nm wavelength, which configuration of In1-
xGaxAsyP1-y has to be fabricated? Also, find out (with proper logic) the shortest and longest
wavelengths possible while operating the above lasers. [2 + 3]
Q. C2 Discuss the role of temperature in doped semiconductors while clearly describing (with
depiction) the intrinsic, extrinsic, and freeze-out regions. Typical data values will be required for
clear answer. [5]
Q. C3 Consider a 0.3 mm long resonator with absorption coefficient of 5 cm-1 and two mirrors of
equal reflectivity (32%). The resonator is filled with an active medium of refractive index 1.76 and
spontaneous emission lifetime 3 ms, while the value of the corresponding transition probability
function ‘g’ at λ = 694.3 nm is 6.9 ps. Calculate (while properly showing the steps involved) the
population inversion density required for lasing action to take place. [4]

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