EE-606: Solid State Devices

Offered: Every Semester
Spring 2009: MWF 7:30-8:20, EE 115

Course Objective

In the last 50 years, solid state devices like transistors have evolved from an interesting laboratory experiment to a technology with applications in all aspects of modern life. Making transistors is a complex process that requires unprecedented collaboration among material scientists, solid state physicists, chemists, numerical analysts, and software professionals. And yet, as you will see in part 1 of this course (first 5 weeks), that the basics of current flow though solid state semiconductor devices can be understood by using some elementary concepts of quantum- and statistical-mechanics. In Part 2 (next 5 weeks), we will use this framework to analyze bipolar-transistors (Shockley, 1953). And in Part 3 (last 5 weeks), we will do the same for MOSFETs (Grove, 1967). Although much have changed in the last 30 years - transistors have gotten smaller, MEMS have become an important research area, and cross-disciplinary research in nano-bio-electronic systems is flourishing - yet the simple but powerful concepts that you will learn in this introductory course will still provide you the background and a reference point for all your future research work ( I will give you examples of such new applications as we go along).

Announcement

• The website for Course Evaluation is now open and the weblink was emailed to you. I will appreciate your comments.
• No classes on 15th and 17th of April.
• Solutions to HW6 and HW7 have been posted. We will have a help-session on Thursday at 5:15-6:15 pm in the classroom.
• Exam 2 on April 6. This exam will focus on diodes and BJTs. Open book, Open notes.
• HW7 will be due March 30th, next Monday.
• Exam is on Monday, March 2, from 6-7 pm in the classroom.
• Solutions of HW4 and HW5 have been posted.
• Help sessions on Friday from 5-6pm and Saturday from 10-11am.
• HW5 has been posted; due date Feb. 25.
• The first exam. will be either at Feb. 27 or March 1, depending on our progress.
• Solutions to HW1-HW3 have been posted.
• Videotaped lectures are posted at www.nanohub.org/resources/5749
• HW4 has been posted. Due date is Feb. 18 (Feb. 4).
• Lecture notes 4-8 have been posted. (Jan. 29)
• HW3 has been posted. The due date is Feb. 9nd.
• HW1 is due on Jan. 26, 2009 (I incorrectly wrote the submission date to be Jan. 19).
• Lecture1 and HW1 have been posted. Please check the website frequenently for updates.
• Please get an free web account with nanohub.org. We will be using several tools from the website.
• You should receive an email by the end of the first week of class, acknowledging that I have your address. If you do not get such an email, let me know.
• The first day of class is Monday Jan. 12, 2009 7:30-8:20am in EE115.
  

Office hours (EE320):         M W F   8:20-9:15am