Electronic materials and

technologies
Lucio Pancheri
lucio.pancheri@unitn.it
 Outline

• Introduction
• Course schedule
• Final exam
 Electronic systems

www.sysacom.com
1prototype.com
 Passive components

Resistors Capacitors
Diodes and transistors
Light Emitting Diodes (LED)
Photovoltaic cells
Image sensors
Integrated circuits
 Integrated circuits

learn.sparkfun.com
Integrated circuit: layout
Integrated circuit: cross section
Intel 14nm
Technology

12 metal layers
Integrated circuits: MOS transistors
 Course schedule
• Semiconductor fundamentals
• P-N junction
• MOS transistor
• Microelectronic technologies: basic
technological processes
• Laboratory: TCAD device and process
simulations
 Semiconductor fundamentals
• Semiconductor materials
• Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors: carrier
concentration
• Current flow: drift and diffusion
• Generation and recombination processes
• Semiconductor mathematical model
 P-N junction
• Basic theory of P-N junctions
• Simulation model
• Applications:
– Diodes
– Solar cells
– LEDs
– Photodiodes
 MOS transistor
• Basic theory of MOS transistor
• MOS simulation model
• Applications:
– Digital electronics: logic gates
– Analog electronics: amplifiers
 Process technologies
• Single crystal growth
• Lithography
• Ion implantation
• Diffusion
• Oxidation
• Physical and Chemical Vapor deposition
• Thin film deposition
• CMOS technologies
 TCAD simulation
• Technology Computer Aided Design
• Simulator: Synopsys TCAD, industry standard
• Finite volume simulations
– Simulation domain definition
– Meshing
– Simulation of electron
devices (voltages, currents)
– Simulation of
process technologies
 Suggested readings
• R. F. Pierret: “Semiconductor fundamentals“, Addison
Wesley Modular Series on Solid State Devices”,
volume 1, 2nd Ed., R. F. Pierret, G.W. Neudeck
Editors, 1988
• S. M. Sze: “Semiconductor Devices – Physics and
Technology”, John Wiley & Sons, 2nd Ed., 2001
 Final exam
• Written exam: exercises dealing with device
physics and technology
• Oral exam: questions on the theoretical
aspects treated in class

• As an alternative to oral exam,

a TCAD exercise can be solved and discussed
Semiconductor fundamentals
Resistivity of materials

Resistivity: 𝜌 [Ω 𝑐𝑚]

1 𝑆
Conductivity: 𝜎 =
𝜌 𝑐𝑚
Resistivity of semiconductors
Semiconductor materials
 Elemental semiconductors
• Silicon: the most common semiconductor
– Active electron devices: diodes, transistors
– Digital electronics
– Analog and RF electronics
– Solar cells
– Power electronics
– Sensors
• Germanium: far less
common
– Infrared sensors
– High performance solar cells
 Silicon: electron configuration
Valence electrons
Electron configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p2

Silicon crystal
 Carbon and Germanium
Germanium:
Carbon: 1s2 2s2 2p2 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 4s2 3d10 4p2
 Binary semiconductors
• III-V. Example Gallium Arsenide (GaAs):
– RF electronics
– Optoelectronics
• II-VI. Ex. Cadmium
Telluride (CdTe):
– X-ray detectors
• IV-IV. Ex. Silicon
carbide (SiC):
– Power electronics
– LEDs
 Ternary semiconductors
• Indium Gallium Arsenide (InxGa1-xAs):
– Laser diodes
– IR detectors and cameras
– Photovoltaics
• Aluminum Gallium
Nitride (AlGaN):
– Blue laser diodes and LED
– RF electronics
 Quaternary semiconductors
• Indium Gallium Arsenide Phosphide(GaxIn1-xAs1-yPy):
– Lasers
– Photodetectors
– Waveguides

Variable stoichiometry:
Tunable optical properties
and lattice constant
 Semiconductor crystal structure
Semiconductors are used in single-crystal form
Silicon and Germanium: diamond lattice
Each atom is covalently bond to other 4 atoms

Silicon:
a = 0.543nm

Germanium:
a = 0.565nm
 Semiconductor crystal structure
Some atoms in FCC (Face Centered Cubic) positions
 Semiconductor crystal structure
The other atoms form another FCC lattice displaced along the
diagonal for ¼ of its length
 Semiconductor crystal structure
Only 4 of these atoms are inside the elementary cell
 Semiconductor crystal structure
Gallium Arsenide: zincblende lattice

GaAs:
a = 0.565nm
Crystallographic planes and directions
Defined by Miller indexes
X

Y
Direction [100]

X Plane (100)
Crystallographic planes and directions

X
Plane (110)

Direction [110]
X
Crystallographic planes and directions

X
Direction [111]

X Plane (111)
 Example: anisotropic etching
Some chemical solutions are used to etch the material along
specific crystal planes