Modern Semiconductor Devices

Summer Semester 2010

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hermann Schumacher
H. Schumacher | 23.04.10 | Modern Semiconductor Devices

Title graphics: http://www.wirelessdesignmag.com/images/0512/wd511_f2_1_lrg.jpg

Seite 2 Modern Semiconductor Devices

In this lecture ...

we will review Silicon as a semiconductor material, along with some basics in

semiconductor physics.
Seite 3 Modern Semiconductor Devices

All semiconductors ...

… are crystalline structures with atoms arranged periodically in a lattice

a0: lattice constant

Graphics: http://newton.ex.ac.uk/research/qsystems/people/sque/images/diamond-conventional-unit-cell.gif
Seite ۴ Modern Semiconductor Devices

Periodic potential as the origin of the forbidden gap

Now assume:
Outer electron leaves its host atom and moves through the lattice.

EC: conduction band

EV: valence band
Seite 5 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Energy band structure - definitions

Vacuum level Evac

In a semiconductor:

Conduction band empty at T=0K,

partially filled with electrons at
T>0K. Conduction band EC

No allowed energy states in the

bandgap for pure semiconductors.

Valence band completely filled at Valence band EV

T=0K, partially filled at T>0K.
Seite 6 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Energy band structure - definitions

Vacuum level Evac

electron affinity χ

Conduction band EC

bandgap energy Eg

Valence band EV
Seite 7 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Semiconductor materials in the periodic table of elements

Single-element semiconductors
from the fourth column
Seite 8 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Semiconductor materials in the periodic table of elements

“III-V” compound semiconductors
will be discussed later.
Seite 9 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Key advantages of Silicon

Cheap, supply almost limitless

Mechanically robust

High thermal conductivity

Most important: highly stable native oxide

Seite 10 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Use of SiO2 in a MOSFET

Seite 11 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Band gap of selected solids

Material Band Gap Property

Sn 0.00 eV Metal
Ge 0.68 eV Semiconductor
Si 1.12 eV Semiconductor
C 5.4 eV

InSb 0.36 eV Semiconductor

GaAs 1.42 eV Semiconductor

GaN 3.4 eV Semiconductor

ZnSe 2.71 eV Semiconductor

NaCl 8.97 eV Insulator
Seite 12 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Density of states

EC, EV are boundaries, not exact energy levels.

The bands are made up of a dense distribution of energy levels.

Integral over the energy distributions: density of states in the conduction band
(EC) and valence band (EV).

The densities of states are material properties.

Seite 13 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Intrinsic carrier density

Consider a perfectly pure semiconductor at T>0K:

Thermal excitation of electron from valence band to conduction band:

creation of free (unbound) electron
creation of defect electron (hole) in valence band – also unbound.

Density of electrons and holes:

Boltzmann's constant
Seite 14 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Doping

Doping is the deliberate introduction of foreign elements

into the lattice.

Example:
As atom (Vtht column) replaces Si atom (IVth column)
Extra electron in the outer shell,
not needed for chemical bond
available as free electron in the conduction band,
n-type doping.

Creation of ionized donor (fixed charge) located

just below the conduction band.
Seite 15 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Doping

Doping is the deliberate introduction of foreign elements

into the lattice.

Example:
B atom (IIIrdt column) replaces Si atom (IVth column)
Not enough electrons in outer shell for chemical bond,
defect electron
available as free hole in the valence band,
p-type doping.

Creation of ionized acceptor (fixed charge) located

just above the valence band.
Seite 16 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Doping

2
Mass action law: n⋅p=n i also in doped semiconductors.

Typical assumptions:

all doping atoms are ionized (cf. activation energy to thermal energy kT)

doping concentrations far exceed the intrinsic carrier concentration N D ≫ni or N A ≫ni
Seite 17 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Doping - example
Arsenic doping, 1017 cm -3 – compare total density of Si atoms in lattice: 5 x 1022 cm-3
intrinsic carrier density of Si: 1.5 x 1010 cm-3

Hence: n ≈ ND = 1017 cm-3 free electrons – majority carriers

Hole density – use mass action law:

Holes are here the minority carriers.

Seite 18 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Fermi energy

Fermi-Dirac statistics describes the likelihood of a permissible state to be occupied.

Parameter EF: Fermi energy

In a semiconductor in thermodynamic equilibrium: EF=const.

Also called “electrochemical potential of the electron”.

Seite 19 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Fermi-Dirac Function

1.0

1
0.8 f (e) = E
1 + Ae kT
Distribution f(E)

0.6
Temperature
5K
0.4 20K
50K
100K
0.2 300K
600K

0.0
-0.10 -0.05 0.00 0.05 0.10
Energy (eV)
Seite 20 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Fermi-Dirac and Boltzmann Distributions

Commonly: Fermi-Dirac distribution approximated by the Boltzmann distribution:
E −E
F
1 −
kT
f E = E −E ≈eF
kT
1e
Seite 21 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Specific locations of the Fermi energy in the band gap

Using the Boltzmann approximation:

in an intrinsic semiconductor:

in an n-type doped semiconductor:

in a p-type doped semiconductor:

EC
n-type
NC
kT ln
ND

intrinsic

NV
kT ln
NA
p-type EV
Seite 22 Modern Semiconductor Devices

Things you need to remember ...

Drawing band diagrams will be a frequent task in this course – band diagrams
are essential to the understanding of semiconductor device concepts.

At this point, you should be able to

distinguish between intrinsic and doped semiconductors

understand the importance of the Fermi energy

calculate the position of valence and conduction band with respect to the
Fermi energy

calculate majority and minority carrier concentrations for doped

semiconductors.