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BRAC University ECE230&EEE209 (Semiconductor Materials and Devices) Summer 2011 Date Due: 29.06.11

Assignment 2 Solution
1. Consider a sample of silicon at T = 300 K doped at an impurity concentration of: Nd= 1015 cm3. Assume electron and hole mobilities are 1350 and 480 cm2/V.s, respectively. Calculate the conductivity ofthesilicon.Ifanelectric fieldis E=35V/cmisapplied,calculate the drift current density.

J Drift = q (n0 n + p 0 p )E
15 -3

ni2 1.5 1010 = = 2.25 10 5 cm -3 n0 N d = 10 cm ; p 0 = 15 n 10 19 15 5 2 J Drift = 1.6 10 10 1350 + 2.25 10 480 35 = 7.56 A/cm

Note: 1. Theunitofthecurrentdensity(A/cm2)

Current Density = Charge(q ) Carrier Density(n) Mobility( ) Electric Field( E ) 1 cm 2 V Coulomb s A = Coulomb = = 3 2 2 cm V.s cm cm cm
2. The drift current is quite high even with a small electric field and moderate doping density. 3. Since electron concentration n0 is much much larger than hole concentration p0, we canwrite,

J Drift = q(n0 n + p0 p )E qn0 n E = 1.6 1019 1015 1350 35 = 7.56 A cm 2 !

which is exactly the same as that calculated considering both electron and hole concentrations.Forextrinsicsemiconductors,Driftcurrentisdeterminedbythemajority carriersonly,contributionofminoritycarriersisnegligible. 2. Consider a compensated GaAs semiconductor at T = 300 K. Nd= 5 x 1015 cm3 and Na = 2 x 1016 cm3. Calculate the conductivity of the semiconductor. If an electric field is E = 100 V/cm is applied, calculate the drift current density. Assume electron and hole mobilities are 1350 and 480cm2/V.s,respectively. Conductivityofasemiconductorisgivenby,

 = q (n n + p p )
p = p 0 = N a N d = 2 1016 5 10 15 = 1.5 10 16 cm 3 n2 2.16 10 6 n = n0 = i = p0 1.5 1016

= 3.1 10 4 cm 3

Q p >> n, = q n n + p p qp p = 1.6 10 19 1.5 10 16 480 = 0.768 S/cm J Drift = E = 0.768 100 = 76.8 A/cm 2

3. It is required to have an ntype semiconductor with resistivity 0.1 ohmcm. Find the doping densityneededtoachievethisresistivity.Ifthesemiconductorhasadimensionof1 m2 m 10m,calculatetheresistanceofthematerial.

1 1 (Assuming n >> p ) q (n n + p p ) qn n 1 1 n= = = 4.63 1016 cm -3 19 q n 1.6 10 1350 0.1 2 ni2 1.5 1010 = = 4860, Note : p = 16 n 4.6310 >> n p so our original assumption is correct.

Resistance of the material, L 10 10 4 cm 10m ( ) R = = (0.1.cm ) cm = 0 . 1 . = 5000 = 5 k A 1 2 m 2 110 4 2 10 4 cm 2

[Note: Units of dimensions must be converted into cm before the calculation to match withthatofresistivity]
4. A bar of Si semiconductor with length 10 m has electron concentration at one end 1016 cm3 and 8x1016 cm3 at the other end. Calculate the diffusion current density if the electron density varieslinearlythroughthebar.Assumeelectronmobility1350cm2/V.sandT=300K. Thediffusoncurrentdensityisgvenby,
dn , D n Diffusion constant of electrons dx From Einstein relation, J n , Diff . = qD n Dn

kT kT Dn = n = 1350 cm 2 / V.s (0.0259 V ) = 34.96 cm 2 / s q q dn 1016 8 1015 cm -3 2 1015 cm -3 = = = 2 1018 cm - 4 dx 10 m 10 10 4 cm

cm 2 34 . 96 J n , Diff . = 1.6 10 19 C s

2 1018 cm - 4 = 11.19 A/cm 2

[Note:Relativelysmallchangeincarrierconcentrationcancauselargediffusioncurrent]

5. Considerasemiconductorthatisnonuniformlydopedwithacceptorimpurityatomsasshownin the figure below. If the semiconductor is in thermal equilibrium, draw the energy band diagram showing the intrinsic and the Fermi energy levels through the crystal. Derive an expression for theinducedelectricfieldandshowitsdirectioninthediagram. Ifthenonuniformlydopedsemiconductorisinthermalequilibriumandhasnoexternalconnections, theindividualelectronandholecurrentsmustbezero.

ExistheinducedelectricfieldEInduced. SolvingforEx

dp( x ) J p = 0 = qp( x ) p E x eD p dx kT 1 dp( x ) q p( x ) dx

Ex = =

kT 1 p(x ) dE i q p( x ) kT dx 1 dE i = q dx

E EF p( x ) = ni exp i kT (x ) dp E E F d Ei E F = ni exp i dx kT dx kT 1442443

n(x )

p ( x ) dEi dE F kT dx dx p ( x ) dEi = , kT dx dE F = 0, as the current is zero Q dx =

EInduced
[Note: It is not clear from the final expression of Ex = (1/q)(dEx/dx) that if Ex is positive or negative. But fromthe1stlinewhereExisexpressedintermsof carrierdensity gradient(dp/dx),itcanbe saidthat Ex is negative since (dp/dx) is negative. So Ex will point towards negative xaxis and the energy band diagramwillhaveanegativeslope.]

6. An intrinsic Si sample is doped with donors from one side such that Nd = N0exp(ax). (i) Find an expression for E(x) at equilibrium over the range for which Nd >> ni. (ii) Evaluate E when a = 1 (m)1. (iii) Sketch a band diagram showing the intrinsic and the Fermi energy levels through the crystalandindicatethedirectionofE.

E (x ) =

kT 1 dN d ( x ) q N d ( x ) dx kT 1 d [N exp( ax )] = q N d ( x ) dx 0 kT 1 ( a )N 0 exp( ax ) = q N d (x ) kT 1 aN ( x ) = q N d (x ) d kT =a q

For a = 1 (m ) , kT 1 E=a = 1 (m ) 0.0259 V q

1

= 1 10 cm 0.0259 V = 259 V/cm

[Note:ElectricfieldisexpressedinunitsofV/cm.Sotheunitofaisconvertedintocm; The induced Electric field is independent of the position x for the exponential distributionofthecarrierdensity]

E=a

kT 1 dEi = q q dx

dEi = akT dx

The energy band diagram will have a constant slope of +qakT. Since the semiconductor is at thermalequilibrium,Fermilevelwillbeflat,i.e., (dE F dx ) = 0 .