Roll No.

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Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham
B.Tech. Degree Examinations June 2014
Fourth / Sixth Semester
PHY252 Physics of Semiconductor Devices
(Common to all branches)
Time: Three hours Maximum: 100 Marks
INSTRUCTIONS
Answer ALL questions.
Answers to all parts of a question must be in one place.
Answers must be neat and legible.
Graphs/sketches must be labeled.
Units must be written for all numerical answers.

1. (a) Draw the plane indicated by Miller Index (021), and the direction represented by the Miller
index [212]. (5)
(b) Determine the atomic density of the (110) plane in silicon given that the lattice parameter
of Silicon is 5.43. (5)

2. (a) Explain the concept of a hole using the concept of effective mass. Give possible reasons
why hole mobility is lower than electron mobility. (5)
(b) Write an expression for mobility of electron in terms of mean scattering time. Show by a
simple derivation that : 1 1 1 where T and I denote mobility due to lattice
scattering and
T I

impurity scattering mechanisms respectively. (5)

3. Using labeled graphs and sketches of band diagram, explain how carrier concentration varies
as a function of Temperature [ln(n) vs. 1/T] for (i) intrinsic and (ii) extrinsic semiconductors.
(10)

4. If the concentration of acceptors in Silicon at 300K is 1015 cm-3, (10)

a) determine position of Fermi Level with respect to Conduction Band edge (assume
complete ionization, and use effective density of states value given in table below)
b) position of Fermi level with respect to the intrinsic level
c) If 5x1015 donor atoms cm-3are now added to the above semiconductor, determine the
new electron and hole concentration
d) Determine the new position of the Fermi level for the above case

5. (a) Compare the intrinsic carrier concentrations of Ge and GaAs at 450K, given the effective
density of states at conduction band edge at 300K in table below. Band gaps of germanium
and GaAs are 0.66eV and 1.42eV respectively. (5)
(b) Determine the ratio of total number of energy states between Ec and Ec+2kT and Ev and Ev
- 2kT in Silicon at 300K. Use data from table given below. (5)

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 Table 1: Nc and Nv values
and effective masses of
electrons and holes for
various semiconductors

6. (a) A silicon bar is 0.1 m long and 100 m2 cross-sectional area, is doped with 1017
phosphorous atoms cm-3. Find the current at 300K when 10V is applied across the sample.
(4)
(b) In the above case, if the sample is 100 m long, find the current through the sample. (4)
(c) In both the cases mentioned above, what is the time taken for electrons to drift 1 m? (2)

7. Consider a Silicon sample with donor concentration of 2 x 1015 cm-3. If excess carriers are
generated uniformly across the sample at the rate of 1020 per cm-3s-1in steady state, and the
recombination lifetimes for electrons and holes is 1 s, (10)
a) Determine the overall electron and hole concentrations in the semiconductor,
b) The positions of the quasi Fermi levels.
c) If the light is now turned off, determine the excess carrier concentration after 2.5x10-7
seconds.
8. An abrupt p-n junction has donor concentration of 1016 cm-3 on n-side and acceptor
concentration of 1017 cm-3 on p-side. At 300K (a) draw the band diagram of the junction in
equilibrium indicating difference between Fermi level and intrinsic level on each side; (b)
Determine the contact potential; (c) Determine the depletion widths on each side of junction
and (d) peak electric field. (10)

9. In a p+n junction, the n-side has a donor concentration of 2x1016 cm-3. If a forward bias of 0.6V
is applied, determine in steady state: (10)
a) The excess hole concentration at the edge of depletion region on n-side
b) The hole diffusion current density 2 m from the edge of depletion region on n-side.
Assume ni to be 1010 cm-3, r = 12, the diffusion coefficients for electrons and holes are
given 50cm2/s and 20cm2/s respectively, and the minority carrier lifetimes for electrons
and holes is 100ns and 50ns respectively;
c) If we double the p+ doping, how will it affect the above hole diffusion current?

10. (a) Draw the band diagrams (clearly labeled) of the M-O-S cross-section in an Ideal
NMOSFET in accumulation and inversion. (6)
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(b) Consider a Si NMOS transistor with substrate doping of 3x10 cm and interface charge
density of 1011 qC/cm2. Determine the oxide thickness needed to get a threshold voltage of
0.65V. (4)

Constants: Electronic charge = 1.602 x 10-19C, h = 6.626 10-34 J s, mass of electron = 9.1 x 10-
31
kg, permittivity of free space = 8.85 x 10-14 F/cm; Avogadro number = 6.02 x 1023 atoms/mol; Eg
for Si = 1.12eV; ni = 1.5x1010 cm-3 for Si at RT; kT = 0.0259eV at RT; density-of-states-effective
mass of electron and hole in Si are 1.08mo and 0.56mo respectively; RT (room temperature) =
300K. Boltzman constant k = 8.62x10-5 eV/K;1 eV = 1.6x10-19 J

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Formulae:

EF Ei

no ni e
kT
1
1 2 E
n Nc Nv exp VH = W xBz = IxBz /(e.p.d)
2 2kT

( E F Ev )
p (or po ) N v exp
kT

Ei EF
dn kT
Jn en nE x eDn po n i e
dx
L. I x RH
p
e . p.Vx .W .d
Eg
ni N c N v exp
2kT
dp
Jp ep pE x eDp
dx

Fig: Drift mobilities for

electrons and holes as a
(cm2/Vs) function of impurity
concentration

Impurity Concentration (cm-3)

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