Applied Physics

Phys – 00102
Natural Science Group of Curriculum
Course Outline
Overview of semiconductor materials and their importance in electronics. Crystal
Structure: Study of the crystal lattice structure of semiconductors and its impact on
electronic properties. Energy Bands: Understanding the concept of energy bands in
semiconductors, including valence and conduction bands. Intrinsic and Extrinsic
Semiconductors: Differentiating between intrinsic (pure) and extrinsic (doped)
semiconductors. Charge Carriers: Electrons and holes as charge carriers in semiconductors.
Carrier Statistics: Fermi-Dirac statistics and the distribution of electrons and holes in
energy bands. Carrier Transport: Drift and diffusion of charge carriers in semiconductors.
Carrier Generation and Recombination: Processes involving the creation and annihilation
of electron-hole pairs. Diodes: pn junction diode, forward and reverse characteristics of a
diode, ideal diode, practical diode, equivalent circuit of a diode, current equation of a
diode, diode as a switch. Different types of diodes. Applications of diodes: Half- and full-
wave rectifiers, clipper and clamper circuits, voltage multipliers. Bipolar Junction
Transistor: Operation, npn and pnp transistors, unbiased transistor, DC biasing of a
transistor, static characteristics, DC circuit analysis, load line, operating point and bias
stabilization. Transistor as an amplifier. Transistor biasing configurations: Common emitter,
common base, common collector.
 CLOs for Applied Physics
• Define fundamental semiconductor concepts, energy band diagrams,
properties of intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors. C1-PLO1
• Explain the principles of semiconductor physics and how they relate to
electronic device behavior. C2-PLO2
• Detects the skills to collect data during semiconductor experiments,
including recording measurements, graphs, and tables, and analyzing the
results to draw meaningful conclusions. P-PLO5
• Follows teamwork by actively participating in group experiments, sharing
responsibilities, and respecting diverse perspectives within the laboratory
setting. A1-PLO9
• Identify the need to communicate experimental procedures, results, and
observations clearly and concisely, both in written reports and during
group discussions. A1-PLO10
What have you learnt in Physics
•
 Materials
• Semiconductor
Semiconductors are a group of materials having conductivities between
those of metals and insulators.
Types of Solids

Ordered arrangement of atoms within a solid. Degree of order periodicity define the material type
Crystal Structure

• Lattice : periodic arrangement of ‘special arrangement of atoms’ in

Unit Cell: A small Volume of crystal which can be repeated to develop entire crystal
Primitive Cell: The Smallest Unit cell that can be repeated to for entire crystal
Unit Cells
Unit Cell vs Primitive Cell
• A unit cell is the basic repeating • The primitive cell is the smallest
structural unit that represents the repeating unit (Unit Cell) within
entire crystal lattice. a crystal lattice that still
• It is a three-dimensional geometric preserves the essential
shape that is repeated in all three symmetry and characteristics of
dimensions to form the crystal the crystal structure.
structure.
• It is a subset of the unit cell and
• The unit cell is defined by its lattice contains a single lattice point or
parameters, which include the atom.
lengths of its edges and the angles
between them. • While the unit cell represents
• The unit cell encapsulates the the entire crystal lattice, the
entire symmetry of the crystal and primitive cell provides a more
contains all the information fundamental description of the
required to replicate the crystal crystal structure at the atomic
lattice throughout space. level.
Lattice Structure
• Lattice vector
• Lattice Constants
• Lattice integers
Crystal planes and Miller Indices
• Miller indices describe the shape of a plane inside crystal
• Distance between the surfaces
• Density of atoms on a surface (impurities function in crystals)
Crystal Directions
Diamond structure

• 4 neighboring atoms
Atomic Bond
- Discuss Other Types of atomic Bonds,
- What is the relation of bonding and crystal structure
Imperfections and impurities
• Change in electrical characteristics
• Lattice Vibrations due to atomic thermal behaviors
Impurity Addition (Doping):
1- Diffusion ( High Temperature)
2- Ionic implantation ( relatively lower temperature)
Assignment 1
• Prepare an assignment on ‘Bravais Lattice’ by explaining following
points:
• Variation of three sides and three angles to create 14 distinct shapes
• Difference between unit cell and primitive cell
Sample Problems to practice
• Ability to explain the lattice points and planes
• Calculate the lattice points in a given type of Cube
• Develop miller indices for a given plane and draw a plane from given
miller indices
• Compute the density of atoms in a given volume for a given unit cell
(BCC, FCC, SC)
• Compute the density of atoms in a given plane
• Explain the bonding type and significance of diamond structure in
silicon