1. Microelectronics Circuit Analysis and Design
Donald A. Neamen
Chapter 1
Semiconductor Materials and Devices

2. In this chapter, we will:
Gain a basic understanding of semiconductor material properties
Two types of charged carriers that exist in a semiconductor
Two mechanisms that generate currents in a semiconductor

3. Determine the properties of a pn junction
Ideal current–voltage characteristics of a pn junction diode
Examine dc analysis techniques for diode circuits using various models to describe the nonlinear diode characteristics

4. Develop an equivalent circuit for a diode that is used when a small, time-varying signal is applied to a diode circuit
Gain an understanding of the properties and characteristics of a few specialized diodes
Design a simple electronic thermometer using the temperature characteristics of a diode

5. Intrinsic Semiconductors
Ideally 100% pure material
Elemental semiconductors
Silicon (Si)
Most common semiconductor used today
Germanium (Ge)
First semiconductor used in p-n diodes
Compound semiconductors
Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)

6. Silicon (Si)
Covalent bonding of one Si atom with four other Si atoms to form tetrahedral unit cell.

7. Effect of Temperature
As temperature increases, a bond can break, releasing a valence electron and leaving a broken bond (hole).
Current can flow.
At 0K, no bonds are broken.
Si is an insulator.

8. Energy Band Diagram Ev – Maximum energy of a valence electron or hole
Ec – Minimum energy of a free electron
Eg – Energy required to break the covalent bond

9. Movement of Holes
A valence electron in a nearby bond can move to fill the broken bond, making it appear as if the ‘hole’ shifted locations.

10. Intrinsic Carrier Concentration
B – coefficient related to specific semiconductor
T – temperature in Kelvin
Eg – semiconductor bandgap energy
k – Boltzmann’s constant(86х10-6eV/K)

11. Semiconductor constants
Material Eg(ev) B(cm-3K-3/2)
Silicon X1015
Gallium arsenide(GaAs) X1014
Germanium X1015

12. Exercise
1.1 Calculate the intrinsic carrier concentration in silicon at T=300K.
1.2 Calculate the intrinsic carrier concentration in Gallium arsenide and Germanium at T=300K.

13. Extrinsic Semiconductors
Impurity atoms replace some of the atoms in crystal
Column V atoms in Si are called donor impurities.
Column III in Si atoms are called acceptor impurities.

14. Phosphorous – Donor Impurity in Si
Phosphorous (P) replaces a Si atom and forms four covalent bonds with other Si atoms.
The fifth outer shell electron of P is easily freed to become a conduction band electron, adding to the number of electrons available to conduct current.

15. Boron – Acceptor Impurity in Si
Boron (B) replaces a Si atom and forms only three covalent bonds with other Si atoms.
The missing covalent bond is a hole, which can begin to move through the crystal when a valence electron from another Si atom is taken to form the fourth B-Si bond.

16. Electron and Hole Concentrations
n = electron concentration
p = hole concentration
n-type:
n = ND, the donor concentration
p-type:
p = NA, the acceptor concentration

17. Drift Currents
Electrons and hole flow in opposite directions when under the influence of an electric field at different velocities.
The drift currents associated with the electrons and holes are in the same direction.

18. Diffusion Currents
Both electrons and holes flow from high concentration to low.
The diffusion current associated with the electrons flows in the opposite direction when compared to that of the holes.

19. p-n Junctions
A simplified 1-D sketch of a p-n junction (a) has a doping profile (b).
The 3-D representation (c) shows the cross sectional area of the junction.

20. Built-in Potential
This movement of carriers creates a space charge or depletion region with an induced electric field near x = 0.
A potential voltage, vbi, is developed across the junction.

21. Calculate Vbi
Where VT=kT/e, k=Boltzmann’s constant. T=absolute temperature, e=the magnitude of the electronic charge, and Na and Nd are the net acceptor and donor concentrations in the p- and n- regions, respectively.

22. Reverse Bias
Increase in space-charge width, W, as VR increases to VR+DVR.
Creation of more fixed charges (-DQ and +DQ) leads to junction capacitance.

23. Forward Biased p-n Junction
Applied voltage, vD, induces an electric field, EA, in the opposite direction as the original space-charge electric field, resulting in a smaller net electric field and smaller barrier between n and p regions.

24. Minority Carrier Concentrations
Gradients in minority carrier concentration generates diffusion currents in diode when forward biased.

25. Ideal Current-Voltage (I-V) Characteristics
The p-n junction only conducts significant current in the forward-bias region.
iD is an exponential function in this region.
Essentially no current flows in reverse bias.

26. Ideal Diode Equation
A fit to the I-V characteristics of a diode yields the following equation, known as the ideal diode equation:
kT/q is also known as the thermal voltage, VT.
VT = 25.9 mV when T = 300K, room temperature.

28. Ideal Diode Equation The y intercept is equal to IS.
The slope is proportional to 1/n.
When n = 1, iD increased by ~ one order of magnitude for every 60-mV increase in vD.

29. Circuit Symbol
Conventional current direction and polarity of voltage drop is shown

30. Breakdown Voltage Mechanism: (1) Avalanche breakdown
(2) Zener breakdown
breakdown voltage (BV)

31. Transient Response

32. Transient Response
It is composed of a storage time, ts, and a fall time, tf.

33. EX1.3 Determine Vbi for a silicon pn junction at T=300K for (a) Na=1015cm-3, Nd=1017cm-3,
and for
(b) Na=Nd =1017cm-3.

34. dc Model of Ideal Diode Equivalent Circuits Assumes vbi = 0.
No current flows when reverse biased (b).
No internal resistance to limit current when forward biased (c).

35. Half-Wave Diode Rectifier
Diode only allows current to flow through the resistor when vI ≥ 0V. Forward-bias equivalent circuit is used to determine vO under this condition.

36. Graphical Analysis Technique
Simple diode circuit where ID and VD are not known.

37. Load Line Analysis

38. Piecewise Linear Model
Two linear approximations are used to form piecewise linear model of diode.

39. Diode Piecewise Equivalent Circuit
The diode is replaced by a battery with voltage, Vg, with a resistor, rf, in series when in the ‘on’ condition (a) and is replaced by an open when in the ‘off’ condition, VD < Vg.

40. Q-point
The x intercept of the load line is the open circuit voltage and the y intercept is the short circuit current.
The Q-point is dependent on the power supply voltage and the resistance of the rest of the circuit as well as on the diode I-V characteristics.

41. Load Line: Reverse Biased Diode
The Q-point is always ID = 0 and VD = the open circuit voltage when using the piecewise linear equivalent circuit.

42. PSpice Analysis
V1 sweep from 0 to 5V.

43. 1.4 Diode Circuits: AC Equivalent Circuit
Objective: Develop an equivalent circuit for a diode that used when a small, time-varying signal is applied to a diode circuit.

44. ac Circuit Analysis
Combination of dc and sinusoidal input voltages modulate the operation of the diode about the Q-point.

45. Sinusoidal Analysis

47. Example Objective: Analyze the circuit shown in figure below.
Assume circuit and diode parameters of VPS=5V, R=5KΩ, Vγ=0.6V, and vi=0.1sinwt(V).

48. Solution: DC+AC method
For the DC analysis: set vi=0,
The DC value of the output voltage is

49. For the ac analysis, set VPS=0
For the ac analysis, set VPS=0. The ac kirchhoff voltage law (KVL) equation becomes

51. EX1.4 Assume the circuit and diode parameters for the circuit in figure 1.34(a) are VPS=10V,R=20KΩ,Vγ=0.7V,and vI=0.2sinwtV. Determine the quiescent diode current and the time-varying diode current.

52. !! Comment: Throughout the text, we will divide the circuit analysis into a dc analysis and an ac analysis. To do so, we will use separate equivalent circuit models for each analysis.

53. Minority Carrier Concentration
Frequency response
Time-varying excess charge leads to diffusion capacitance.
Minority Carrier Concentration

54. Equivalent Circuits
When ac signal is small, the dc operation can be decoupled from the ac operation.
First perform dc analysis using the dc equivalent circuit (a).
Then perform the ac analysis using the ac equivalent circuit (b).

55. Small Signal Equivalent Model
Simplified model, which can only be used when the diode is forward biased.
Complete model

56. 1.5 Other Diode Types 1.5.1 Solar cell 1.5.2 Photodiode
1.5.3 Light-Emitting Diode
1.5.4 Schottky Barrier Diode
1.5.5 Zener Diode

57. 1.5.1 Solar cell
A solar cell is a pn junction device with no voltage directly applied across the junction, which converts solar energy into electrical energy, is connected to a load.

59. 1.5.2 Photodiode
Attention: Reverse biased

60. 1.5.3 Light-Emitting Diode

61. Optical Transmission System
LED (Light Emitting Diode) and photodiode are p-n junctions.

62. 1.5.4 Schottky Barrier Diode
A metal layer replaces the p region of the diode.
Circuit symbol showing conventional current direction of current and polarity of voltage drop.

63. Comparison of I-V Characteristics: Forward Bias
The built-in voltage of the Schottky barrier diode, Vg(SB), is about ½ as large as the built-in voltage of the p-n junction diode, Vg(pn),.

64. 1.5.5 Zener Diode Circuit Symbol
Usually operated in reverse bias region near the breakdown or Zener voltage, VZ.
Note the convention for current and polarity of voltage drop.

65. Example 1.13 Given VZ = 5.6V rZ = 0W
Find a value for R such that the current through the diode is limited to 3mA

67. Design example :Digital Thermometer
Use the temperature dependence of the forward-bias characteristics to design a simple electronic thermometer.

68. Solution Given: IS = 10-13 A at T = 300K
Assume: Ideal diode equation can be simplified.

69. Thermometer con’t

71. Note:,
to complete this design, two additional components must be added to the circuit shown here

72. Two additional components:
An op-amp circuit to measure the diode voltage;
An ADC to convert the voltage to a temperature reading.

73. Problem 1.42
First, determine if the diode is on or off. Is the open circuit voltage for the diode greater or less than Vg?

74. The voltage at the node connected to the p side of the diode is
2kW 5V/(4kW) = 2.5V
The voltage at the node connected to n side of the diode is
2kW 5V/(5kW) = 2V
The open circuit voltage is equal to the voltage at the p side minus the voltage at the n side of the diode:
Voc = 2.5V – 2V = 0.5V.
To turn on the diode, Voc must be ≥ Vg.

75. EX1.5 (Solution can refer to next page)
Design a circuit that has a voltage transfer function shown to the left.
(pp 60)

76. Solution
For 0V ≤ vI < 8.2V, the voltage transfer function is linear.
When vI = 0V, vO = 0V so there is no need to include a battery in the piecewise linear model for this voltage range.
Since there is a 1:1 correspondence
between vI and vO, this section of
the transfer function can be
modeled as a 1W resistor.

77. solution con’t
When vI ≥ 8.2V, the output voltage is pinned at 8.2V, just as if the device suddenly became a battery.
Hence, the model for this section is a battery, where Vg = 8.2V.

78. Circuit for 1.63

79. solution con’t
Or, if you assumed a more common Vg, say of 0.7V, then the circuit would be: