Professional Documents
Culture Documents
• How do carriers move in an electric field? What are the key dependencies
of the drift velocity?
Slide 2-1
Chapter 2 Motion and Recombination
of Electrons and Holes
2.1 Thermal Motion
We can think of carriers as particles in an ideal gas.
At finite T, carriers have finite thermal energy. All this energy resides in
the kinetic energy of the particles.
Carriers move in random directions: no net velocity, but average carrier
velocity is thermal velocity:
3 1 2
Average electron or hole kinetic energy kT mvth
2 2
3kT 3 1.38 10 23 JK 1 300K
vth
meff 0.26 9.1 10 31 kg
Slide 2-2
2.1 Thermal Motion
Slide 2-3
Scattering mechanisms:
1.Lattice or phonon scattering: carriers collide with vibrating lattice atoms
(phonon absorption and emission)
Some energy exchanged (~ tens of meV)
5.Carrier-carrier scattering
Slide 2-4
Impurity (Dopant)-Ion Scattering or Coulombic Scattering
Slide 2-5
2.2 Drift
Slide 2-6
2.2.1 Electron and Hole Mobilities
m p v qE mp
q E mp
v
mp
v pE v nE
q mp q mn
p n
mp mn
Slide 2-7
2.2.1 Electron and Hole Mobilities
V/cm V s
Based on the above table alone, which semiconductor and which carriers
(electrons or holes) are attractive for applications in high-speed devices?
Slide 2-8
Drift Velocity, Mean Free Time, Mean Free Path
EXAMPLE: Given p = 470 cm2/V·s, what is the hole drift velocity at
E= 103 V/cm? What is mp and what is the distance traveled between
collisions (called the mean free path)? Hint: When in doubt, use the
MKS system of units.
Solution: = pE = 470 cm2/V·s 103 V/cm = 4.7 105 cm/s
mp = pmp/q =470 cm2/V ·s 0.39 9.110-31 kg/1.610-19 C
= 0.047 m2/V ·s 2.210-12 kg/C = 110-13s = 0.1 ps
mean free path = mhth ~ 1 10-13 s 2.2107 cm/s
= 2.210-6 cm = 220 Å = 22 nm
This is smaller than the typical dimensions of devices, but getting close.
Slide 2-9
Total Mobility
1600
1 1 1
1400
phonon impurity
1200 Electrons
1 1 1
M obility (cmV s )
-1
1000
phonon impurity
-1
800
2
600
400
Holes
200
Na +Concenration
Total Impurity Nd (cm-3) -3
(atoms cm )
Slide 2-10
Temperature Effect on Mobility
10 1 5
Question:
What Nd will make
dn/dT = 0 at room
temperature?
Slide 2-11
Velocity Saturation
• When the kinetic energy of a carrier exceeds a critical value, it
generates an optical phonon and loses the kinetic energy.
• Therefore, the kinetic energy is capped at large E, and the
velocity does not rise above a saturation velocity, vsat .
• Velocity saturation has a deleterious effect on device speed as
shown in Ch. 6.
Slide 2-12
2.2.3 Drift Current and Conductivity
E Jp
unit
+ area
+
Slide 2-13
2.2.3 Drift Current and Conductivity
P-type
N-type
RESISTIVITY
(
m) = 1/
c
Slide 2-15
EXAMPLE: Temperature Dependence of Resistance
(a) What is the resistivity () of silicon doped
with 1017cm-3 of arsenic?
(b) What is the resistance (R) of a piece of this
silicon material 1m long and 0.1 m2 in cross-
sectional area?
Solution:
(a) Using the N-type curve in the previous
figure, we find that = 0.084 -cm.
(b) R = L/A = 0.084 -cm 1 m / 0.1 m2
= 0.084 -cm 10-4 cm/ 10-10 cm2
= 8.4 10-4
Slide 2-16
EXAMPLE: Temperature Dependence of Resistance
Slide 2-17
Energy band diagram under electric field
Slide 2-18
Slide 2-19
2.3 Diffusion Current
Slide 2-20
2.3 Diffusion Current
dn dp
J n ,diffusion qDn J p ,diffusion qD p
dx dx
D is called the diffusion constant. Signs explained:
n p
x x
Slide 2-21
Total Current – Review of Four Current Components
JTOTAL = Jn + Jp
dn
Jn = Jn,drift + Jn,diffusion = qnnE + qDn
dx
dp
Jp = Jp,drift + Jp,diffusion = qppE – qD p
dx
Slide 2-22
E
–
2.4 Relation Between the Energy +
Si
Diagram and V, E (a )
V (x )
0.7eV
0 .7 V
x
+ N- – 0
N type Si
(b )
E
Ec and Ev vary in the opposite - E c(x )
E E cE (x)
( )
f x
direction from the voltage. -
E f (x)
That
E v(x )
is, Ec and Ev are higher where E v (x)
0 .7 V
the voltagedV
is lower.
1 dEc 1 dEv + 0.7V
E(x)= dx q dx q dx
x
+
x (c )
Slide 2-23
2.5 Einstein Relationship between D and
E f
E c( x )
Consider a piece of non-uniformly doped semiconductor.
( Ec E f ) / kT
N n- -t tyy pp ee s es me mi c o inc d ou cn t do ru c t o r n N ce
dn N ( E E ) / kT dEc
D e c r e a s in g d o n o r c o n c e n t r a ti o n ce c f
dx kT dx
Ec(x) n dEc
kT dx
Ef
n
qE
Ev(x) kT
Slide 2-24
2.5 Einstein Relationship between D and
dn n
kT qE
: Thermal voltage dx kT
q
dn
Jn qn nE qD n 0 at equilibrium.
dx
qD n
0 qn nE qn E
kT
kT kT
Dn n Similarly, Dp p
q q
These are known as the Einstein relationship.
Einstein relation does not depend on doping, only
on Temperature
Slide 2-25
EXAMPLE: Diffusion Constant
Solution:
kT
D p p (26 mV) 410 cm 2 V 1s 1 11 cm 2 /s
q
Slide 2-26
2.6 Electron-Hole Recombination
•The equilibrium carrier concentrations are denoted with
n0 and p0.
•The total electron and hole concentrations can be
different from n0 and p0 .
•The differences are called the excess carrier
concentrations n’ and p’.
n n0 n'
p p0 p '
Slide 2-27
Charge Neutrality
•Charge neutrality is satisfied at equilibrium (n’=
p’= 0).
• When a non-zero n’ is present, an equal p’ may
be assumed to be present to maintain charge
equality and vice-versa.
•If charge neutrality is not satisfied, the net charge
will attract or repel the (majority) carriers through
the drift current until neutrality is restored.
n' p'
Slide 2-28
Recombination Lifetime
Slide 2-29
Recombination Lifetime
ranges from 1ns to 1ms in Si and depends on
the density of metal impurities (contaminants)
such as Au and Pt.
•These deep traps capture electrons and holes to
facilitate recombination and are called
recombination centers.
Ec
Direct
Recombination Recombination
is unfavorable in centers
silicon
Ev
Slide 2-30
Direct and Indirect Band Gap
Trap
dn n
dt
n p
dn n p dp
dt dt
Slide 2-32
EXAMPLE: Photoconductors
Slide 2-33
EXAMPLE: Photoconductors
Solution:
(b) What is n0 ?
n0 = ni2/p0 = 105 cm-3
(e) What is p?
p = p0 + p’= 1015cm-3 + 1015cm-3 = 2×1015cm-3
(f) What is n?
n = n0 + n’= 105cm-3 + 1015cm-3 ~ 1015cm-3 since n0 << n’
Slide 2-35
2.7 Thermal Generation
Slide 2-36
2.8 Quasi-equilibrium and Quasi-Fermi Levels
• Whenever n’ = p’ 0, np ni2. We would like to preserve
and use the simple relations: ( Ec E f ) / kT
n Nce
( E f Ev ) / kT
p Nve
Slide 2-37
EXAMPLE: Quasi-Fermi Levels and Low-Level Injection
(a) Find Ef .
n = Nd = 1017 cm-3 = Ncexp[–(Ec– Ef)/kT]
Ec– Ef = 0.15 eV. (Ef is below Ec by 0.15 eV.)
Slide 2-38
EXAMPLE: Quasi-Fermi Levels and Low-Level Injection
Ec–Efn = kT ln(Nc/1.011017cm-3)
= 26 meV ln(2.81019cm-3/1.011017cm-3)
= 0.15 eV
Slide 2-39
EXAMPLE: Quasi-Fermi Levels
( E fp Ev ) / kT
p = 10 cm =
15 -3 Nve
Efp–Ev = kT ln(Nv/1015cm-3)
= 26 meV ln(1.041019cm-3/1015cm-3)
= 0.24 eV
Ec
Ef Efn
Efp
Ev
Slide 2-40
2.9 Chapter Summary
vp pE
dn
J n ,diffusion qDn
dx
vn - nE
dp
J p ,diffusion qD p
J p ,drift qp pE dx
Jn ,drift qn nE
kT
Dn n
q
kT
Dp p
q
Slide 2-41
2.9 Chapter Summary
is the recombination lifetime.
n’ and p’ are the excess carrier concentrations.
n = n0+ n’
p = p0+ p’
Charge neutrality requires n’= p’.
( E fp Ev ) / kT
p Nve
Slide 2-42