Exam2 Solutions S16

NAME:_________________________________________________
PUID:_____________________________________

SECTION: Circle one: Alam Lundstrom

SOLUTIONS: ECE 305 Exam 2: Spring 2016
February 15, 2016
M. A. Alam and M.S. Lundstrom
Purdue University

This is a closed book exam. You may use a calculator and the formula sheet at the end of
this exam. Following the ECE policy, the calculator must be a Texas Instruments TI-‐30X
IIS scientific calculator.

There are three equally weighted questions. To receive full credit, you must show your
work and explain your answers.

The exam is designed to be taken in 60 minutes.

At the top of the page, be sure to fill in your name, Purdue student ID and identify the
section you are in.

DO NOT open the exam until told to do so, and stop working immediately when time is
called.

The last page is an equation sheet, which you may remove if you want to, after the exam
begins.

75 points possible, 25 per question

1) 25 points (5 point per part)

2) 25 points (5 points per part)

3) 25 points (5 points per part)

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐ Course policy -‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

I understand that if I am caught cheating in this course, I will earn an F for the course and
be reported to the Dean of Students.

Read and understood: ______________________________________________
signature
ECE-‐305 1 Spring 2016

Exam 2: ECE 305
Spring 2016

Answer the five multiple choice questions below by drawing a circle around the one,
best answer.

1a) Consider a semiconductor with N D = 2 × 1015 cm -3 , N A = 1× 1015 cm -3 , and
ni = 1× 109 cm -3 . Assume complete ionization of dopants. Approximately what is the
electron density in equilibrium?
a) n = 2 × 1015 cm -3
b) n = 1× 1015 cm -3
c) n = 1× 109 cm -3
d) n = 1× 103 cm -3
e) n = 0.5 × 103 cm -3

1b) Consider a semiconductor with N D = 2 × 1015 cm -3 , N A = 1× 1015 cm -3 , and
ni = 1× 1017 cm -3 . Assume complete ionization of dopants. Approximately what is
the electron density in equilibrium?
a) n = 2 × 1015 cm -3
b) n = 1× 1015 cm -3
c) n = 1× 1017 cm -3
d) n = 0.5 × 1019 cm -3
e) n = 1.0 × 1019 cm -3 .

1c) In an N-‐type semiconductor in low level injection, what is the quantity, D pτ p ?
a) The minority carrier lifetime.
b) The minority carrier diffusion coefficient.
c) The minority carrier mobility.
d) The minority carrier diffusion length.
e) The Einstein relation.

1d) The Einstein relation relates which of the following two quantities ?
a) Saturation velocity and thermal velocity
b) Kinetic energy and potential energy.
c) Mobility of the electrons with the diffusion coefficient of the holes.
d) Diffusion coefficient of electrons with mobility of the electrons.
e) Impact ionization and photon scattering.


Exam 2: ECE 305 Spring 2016

1e) Which of the following is a statement of “low-‐level injection” in a p-‐type
semiconductor?
a) N D << N A .
b) N A << N D .
c) p0 << N A .
d) Δn << p0 .
e) Δp << ni .

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

2) This problem concerns the energy band diagram shown below. Answer each of the
questions that follow.

2a) Is the semiconductor N or P-‐type at position x1 ?

Solution: N-‐type (because the Fermi level is near the conduction band).

2b) What is the kinetic energy of the red electron at location x2 ?

Solution: KE = 0 eV (because the electron is at the bottom of the conduction band)

2c) What is the bandgap of the semiconductor?

Solution:
EG = EC − EV = 1.1− (−0.2) = 1.3eV
EG = 1.3eV



2d) Based on the band diagram, sketch the electric field vs. position.

Solution:
1 dEC
E ( x) =
q dx

2e) Based on the band-‐diagram, sketch the hole concentration vs. position.

Solution:
p ( x ) = NV e(
EV − E F ) k BT


Exam 2: ECE 305
Spring 2016

3) Answer the following questions about minority carriers in an N-‐type semiconductor.
The equilibrium electron density is n0 = 1017 cm -3 , the intrinsic carrier concentration
is ni = 1010 cm -3 , the temperature is 300 K, and k BT q = 0.026 . The minority carrier
lifetime is τ p = 10−6 s , and the diffusion coefficient is D p = 10 cm 2 /s . The problems
below all refer to this semiconductor.

3a) If we add excess electrons and holes so that Δn = Δp = 1012 cm -3 , is the
semiconductor in low-‐level injection? EXPLAIN why or why not.

Solution:
Yes because:

Δn,Δp << n0
n = n0 + Δn ≈ n0 (electron density essentially the same as in equilibrium)
p = p0 + Δp ≈ Δp >> p0 (hole density orders of magnitude larger than in equilibrium)

3b) Where are the quasi-‐Fermi levels, Fn and Fp located with respect to the
intrinsic level, Ei ? (Assume Δn = Δp = 1012 cm -3 as in 3a)). Provide a numerical
value and show Fn and Fp on the energy band diagram below.

Solution:
(
n0 = ni e( EF − Ei ) kBT Fn = Ei + k BT ln ( n ni ) Fn ( eV ) ≈ Ei ( eV ) + ( k BT q ) ln 1017 1010 )
Fn = Ei + 0.419 eV

( ) (
p0 = ni e( Ei − EF ) kBT FP = Ei − k BT ln p ni Fp ( eV ) ≈ Ei ( eV ) − ( k BT q ) ln 1012 1010 )
Fp = Ei − 0.120 eV


3c) Assume an infinitely long, uniform, N-‐type semiconductor with light shining on
it. The optical generation rate , GL , is spatially uniform, and the light has been
shining for a long time. Begin with the minority carrier diffusion equation,
simplify it, and solve for Δp ( x ) .

Solution:
∂ Δp ∂ 2 Δp Δp
= Dp − + GL
∂t ∂x 2 τ p
steady state: ∂ Δp ∂t = 0
spatially uniform: ∂ Δp ∂x = ∂ 2 Δp ∂x 2 = 0
Δp
so the MCDE becomes: 0 = 0 − + GL
τp
Δp = GLτ p The answer is independent of position, x, and time, t.

3d) This problem concerns a semi-‐infinite N-‐type semiconductor with
n0 = 1017 cm -3 that begins at x = 0. The sample is uniformly illuminated, and
GL = 1018 cm -3s-1 . The surface at x = 0 is highly defective so that the minority
carrier lifetime is very short and Δp ( x = 0 ) = 0 . On the axes below, sketch the
Δp ( x ) that would result from solving the minority carrier diffusion equation.
Indicate D pτ p on your sketch. EXPLAIN your sketch.

Solution:

See next page for an explanation of why the curve has this shape.

3d) continued:

( )
For large x, we get the same answer as in 3c): Δp x >> L p = GLτ p
For x = 0, Δp ( x = 0 ) = 0

The transition from surface to bulk have an exponential characteristic with the
characteristic length equal to the diffusion length, Lp = D pτ p . In fact, we can see
that the solution must be:

(
Δp ( x ) = GLτ p 1− e p
−x L
)
above.
This explains the sketch

3e) Assuming the Δp ( x ) from problem 3d), sketch the quasi-‐Fermi levels, Fp ( x ) ,
and Fn ( x ) on the energy band diagram below. EXPLAIN your sketch

Solutions:

Solution:

The shapes of the electron and hole QFLs vs. position are explained on the following page.



The semiconductor is in low level injection, so n ( x ) ≈ n0 = 1017 cm -3 and the electron QFL is
about where the Fermi level was in equilibrium.

(
n0 = ni e( EF − Ei ) kBT Fn = Ei + k BT ln ( n ni ) Fn ( eV ) ≈ Ei ( eV ) + ( k BT q ) ln 1017 1010 )
Fn = Ei + 0.419 eV
This explains the electron QFL in the plot above.

In the bulk, Δp ( x ) = GLτ p = 1018 × 10 −6 = 1012 cm -3 , which is exactly the value for prob. 3b),
so in the bulk ( x → ∞ ), the hole QFL is where is was in Prob. 3b).

Near the surface, we use:

( ) ( )
FP = Ei − k BT ln p ( x ) ni = Ei − k BT ln ⎡⎣ p0 + Δp ( x ) ⎤⎦ ni (see Prob. 3b)).

At the surface, Δp ( x ) = 0 , so the hole QFL is where the Fermi level was in equilibrium,
which is where the electron quasi-‐Fermi level was. Stated differently, there is no QFL
splitting at x = 0 because there are no excess carriers at x = 0.

Δp ( x > 0 ) varies exponentially with position. The hole QFL involves a logarithm of
p ( x ) ≈ Δp ( x ) , so the hole QFL drops linearly towards its value in the bulk.
This explains the hole QFL in the sketch above.


ECE-‐305: Key Equations (for exam 2)
Spring 2016, Alam and Lundstrom, Purdue University

Physical constants: Silicon parameters (T = 300K)
 = 1.055 × 10 −34
[ J-s ] N C = 3.23× 1019 cm -3
m0 = 9.109 × 10 −31 [ kg ] NV = 1.83× 1019 cm -3
k B = 1.380 × 10 −23 [ J/K ] ni = 1× 1010 cm -3

q = 1.602 × 10 −19 [C] K S = 11.8

ε 0 = 8.854 × 10−12 [F/m] k BT q = 0.026 eV (300 K)
(m ) 2 ( E − EC )
3/2
*
DOS: gC ( E) =
π !
n
2 3
FF: f ( E ) =
1
( E−EF ) kBT
ni = N C NV e− EG /2 kBT
1+ e
Equilibrium Carrier densities:
3/2
1 ⎛ 2mn*k BT ⎞
n0 = N C e( F C ) n0 = ni e( EF − Ei ) kBT
E −E k BT
m-‐3 NC = ⎜ m-‐3
4 ⎝ π ! 2 ⎟⎠
3/2
1 ⎛ 2mp k BT ⎞
*
p0 = NV e( )
p0 = ni e( Ei − EF ) kBT
EV − E F k BT
m-‐3 NV = ⎜ ⎟ m-‐3
4 ⎝ π !2 ⎠

Space charge neutrality: p − n + N D+ − N A− = 0 Law of Mass Action: n0 p0 = ni2
Conductivity and resistivity: σ = σ n + σ p = q nµ n + pµ p = 1 ρ ( ) ( )
dFn dn
Current equations: J n = nµ n J n = nqµ nE x + qDn Dn µ n = k BT q
dx dx
dF dp
J p = pµ p p J p = pqµ pE x − qD p D p µ p = k BT q
dx dx
Recombination: SRH: R = Δn τ n m s or -‐3 -‐1 R = Δp τ p m s -‐3 -‐1

Semiconductor Equations:

∂n ⎛ Jn ⎞
= −∇ i ⎜ ⎟ + Gn − Rn Minority Carrier Diffusion Equation:
∂t ⎝ −q ⎠

∂p ⎛ Jp ⎞ ∂ Δp ∂ 2 Δp Δp
= −∇ i ⎜ ⎟ + G p − Rp = Dp − + GL
∂t ⎝ q⎠ ∂t ∂x 2 τ p

( )
0 = −∇ i ε E + ρ

Lp = D pτ p

Carrier densities and QFL’s:
n = N e( n C ) B n = n e( Fn − Ei ) kBT
F −E k T
C
i
p = NV e
( EV − Fp ) k BT
p = ni e( i p ) B
E −F k T

Exam2 Solutions S16

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NAME:_________________________________________________

ECE-‐305 1 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 2 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 3 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 4 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 5 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 6 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 7 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 8 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 9 Spring 2016

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Exam2 Solutions S16

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NAME:_________________________________________________

ECE-­‐305 1 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 2 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 3 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 4 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 5 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 6 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 7 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 8 Spring 2016

ECE-­‐305 9 Spring 2016

You might also like

ECE-‐305 1 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 2 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 3 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 4 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 5 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 6 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 7 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 8 Spring 2016

ECE-‐305 9 Spring 2016