ECE
 EE 656

EE-656: Electronic Transport in Semiconductors

Fall Semesters, Alternate Years

Fall 2007

Course Descripton

This is a course about how charge flows in semiconductors with an emphasis on transport at the nanoscale. After a brief review basic concepts, the course consists of four parts. Part 1 focuses on ballistic (and quasi-ballistic) transport both semiclassical and quantum. Part 2 treats collision-dominated transport in bulk semiconductors. The drift-diffusion equation is derived, thermoelectric and galvanomagnetic effects are discussed, and the balance equation approach is introduced. The emphasis in Part 3 is on the physics of carrier scattering, which controls high-field transport in bulk semiconductors and so-called off-equilibrium transport in sub-micron devices. Finally, Part 4 introduces percolation theory and percolative transport in nanostructures. The objective of the course is to develop a sound understanding of the basic concepts needed to understand modern electronic devices. The course is intended to be accessible to students with a general, introductory background in semiconductors, such as that obtained by taking EE-606 at Purdue University.

This course is part of a the "Electronics from the Bottom UP" educational initiative being spearheaded by the Network for Computational Nanotechnology with support from Intel Corp.

Course Announcements

  • The solutions to HW5 have been posted.
  • The Final Exam is on Friday, December 14 (8:00am-10:00am) in ME 156.
  • Exam 2 will take place in class on Tuesday, Nov. 6. There will be three questions:
    1. A question very similar to one of the first three questions on exam 1
    2. Two questions about the BTE in the Relaxation Time Approximation
    No questions about the Quantum Hall Effect.
    The same rules apply as for the first exam - closed book and notes and no calculators.
  • Solutions to HW1 have been e-mailed to the class. If you did not receive the solutions, please send e-mail to lundstro@purdue.edu
  • Exam 1 is postponed to Thursday, Oct. 4
  • A revised Lecture 8 with corrections has been posted.
  • In HW assignment 1, problem 1, please assume 2D carriers in the x-y plane, and compute the positive x-directed current.
  • Homework Assignment 1 has been posted. It is due on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
  • The course text should be available in University Bookstore Tuesday (8/28) or Wednesday (8/29).
  • Beginning Thursday, August 23, EE 656 will meet in Mechanical Engineering (ME), Room 156.