Week

 7  Quiz  Answers  
ECE  606:  Solid  State  Devices  
Mark  Lundstrom  
Purdue  University,  Spring  2013  
Quiz  1:  
1) The  “Drude”  expression  for  mobility  is  one  you  want  to  remember.    What  is  it?  
a)   µ = qm*τ    
b)   µ = qτ m*  
c)   µ = qm* τ  
d)   µ = m* qτ  
e)   µ = 1 qτ m*  
 
2) What  is  the  temperature  dependence  of  the  mobility  due  to  ionized  impurity  
scattering?  
 
a)   µ ∝ T −3/2  
b)     µ ∝ T −1/2  
c)     µ ∝ T 0  
d)   µ ∝ T +1/2  
e)   µ ∝ T +3/2  
 
3) What  is  the  temperature  dependence  of  the  mobility  due  to  phonon  (lattice)  
scattering?  
 
a)     µ ∝ T −3/2  
b)   µ ∝ T −1/2  
c)   µ ∝ T 0  
d)   µ ∝ T +1/2  
e)   µ ∝ T +3/2  
 
4)   If  we  have  scattering  times  due  to  3  different  processes,  then  what  is  the  total  
scattering  time  when  all  three  mechanisms  operate  at  the  same  time?  
a)   τ tot = τ 1 + τ 2 + τ 3  
b)   τ tot = τ 1 × τ 2 × τ 3  
c)   1 τ tot = 1 τ 1 + 1 τ 2 + 1 τ 3  
d)   1 τ tot = 1 τ 1 × 1 τ 2 × 1 τ 3  
e)   τ tot = max (τ 1 ,τ 2 ,τ 3 )  
 

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 Continued  
 
Quiz  2:  
 
4) Why  are  “4-­‐probe”  resistivity  measurements  used?  
 
a)    To  measure  the  longitudinal  and  transverse  mobility.  
b)    To  simultaneously  deduce  the  resistivity  and  carrier  density.  
c)    To  eliminate  the  effect  of  the  contacts.  
d)    To  provide  two  measurements  that  can  be  averaged.  
e)    To  provide  redundancy,  in  case  some  of  the  contacts  are  poor.  
 
5) What  does  a  Hall  effect  measurement  measure?  
 
a)    The  mobility    
b)    The  Hall  mobility    
c)    The  carrier  density  and  carrier  type  
d)    The  Hall  carrier  density  and  the  carrier  type  
e)    The  effective  mass  
 
3)   Diffusion  involves  random  thermal  motion  and  scattering.    If  the  thermal  velocity  is  
υT  and  the  average  distance  between  electron  (or  hole)  scattering  events  is   λ ,  what  
is  the  diffusion  coefficient  in  cm2/s?    (It’s  useful  to  remember  this  as  well  as  the  
mobility  expression.)  
 
a)   D = υT λ 2  
b)   D = υT ( 2λ )  
c)   D = λ 2υT  
d)   D = υT2 λ 2  
e)   D = υT λ 2 2  
 
4) The  Einstein  Relation,   D µ = k BT q ,  relates  the  mobility  to  the  diffusion  coefficient.  
Under  what  conditions  is  it  valid?  
 
a) always  
b) only  at  equilibrium  or  very  near  equilibrium  
c) only  for  parabolic  band  semiconductors  
d) only  for  direct  gap  semiconductors  
e) only  for  indirect  gap  semiconductors  
 
 
 
 

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Quiz  3:  
 
1) What  is  the  continuity  equation  in  words?  
 
a)    Rate  of  increase  =  (inflow  –  outflow)    +  drift  -­‐  diffusion  
b)    Rate  of  increase  =  (inflow  –  outflow)    +  generation  -­‐  recombination  
c)    Rate  of  increase  =  (inflow  -­‐  outflow)  
d)    Rate  of  increase  =  (inflow  +  outflow)  
e)    Rate  of  increase  =  (outflow  +  inflow)    +  generation  -­‐  recombination    
 
 
2) What  approximations  /  assumptions  are  made  in  deriving  the  minority  carrier  
diffusion  equation.  
 
a)  Steady-­‐state  conditions  
b)  No  recombination    
c)    No  generation  
d)  Low  level  injection  
e)  Validity  of  Einstein  Relation  
 
3) If  minority  carrier  electrons  are  injected  at  the  left  face  of  a  p-­‐type  semiconductor,  
and  there  is  no  recombination-­‐generation  in  the  semiconductor,  and  the  right  
contact  enforces  equilibrium  conditions  (i.e.   Δn = 0 ),  how  does  the  steady-­‐state  
minority  electron  profile,   Δn ( x ) ,  vary  with  position?  
a)   Δn ( x ) decreases  linearly  with  position  from  left  to  right.  
b)   Δn ( x ) increases  linearly  with  position  from  left  to  right.  
c)   Δn ( x ) decreases  as  the  square  of  distance  from  left  to  right.  
d)   Δn ( x ) increases  as  the  square  of  distance  from  left  to  right.  
e)   Δn ( x ) decreases  exponentially  with  position  from  left  to  right.  
 
4) If  minority  carrier  electrons  are  injected  at  the  left  face  of  a  p-­‐type  semiconductor,  
and  there  is  significant  recombination  in  the  semiconductor,  and  the  right  contact  
enforces  equilibrium  conditions  (i.e.   Δn = 0 ),  how  does  the  steady-­‐state  minority  
electron  profile,   Δn ( x ) ,  vary  with  position?  
 
a)   Δn ( x ) decreases  linearly  with  position  from  left  to  right.  
b)   Δn ( x ) increases  linearly  with  position  from  left  to  right.  
c)   Δn ( x ) decreases  as  the  square  of  distance  from  left  to  right.  

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 d)   Δn ( x ) increases  as  the  square  of  distance  from  left  to  right.  
e)   Δn ( x ) decreases  exponentially  with  position  from  left  to  right  
 
Quiz  4:  
 
 
1) What  are  the  three  “semiconductor  equations”?  
 
a)    Electron  current,  hole  current,  Poisson  equation.  
b)    Electron  continuity  equation,  hole  continuity  equation,  Poisson  equation.  
c)    Electron  continuity  equation,  hole  continuity  eqn.,  SRH  recombination  formula.  
d)  Electron  minority  carrier  diffusion  equation,  hole  minority  carrier  diffusion  
equation,  Poisson  equation.  
e)    Electron  current,  electron  continuity  equation,  Poisson  equation.  
 
 
2) What  are  the  three  unknowns  in  the  semiconductor  equations?  
 
a)  Electron  current,  hole  current,  electric  field.  
b)  Electron  current,  hole  current,  electrostatic  potential.  
c)    Electron  current,  hole  current,  recombination  rate.  
d)  Electron  current,  hole  current,  generation  rate.  
e)  Electron  density,  hole  density,  electrostatic  potential.  
 
 
3) What  is  meant  by  the  term  “control  volume”?  
 
a)    It  is  the  part  of  the  device  that  controls  the  performance  of  the  device.  
b)    It  refers  to  a  region  about  a  specific  grid  point  for  which  the  discretized  
           equations  are  formulated.  
c)    It  is  another  term  for  “finite  difference  approximation”.      
d)    It  refers  to  “finite  element”  rather  than  “finite  difference”  discretization.  
e)    It  refers  to  the  need  to  control  the  size  of  volume  being  simulated  so  that  the    
         computational  burden  is  manageable.  
 
 
4) To  numerically  solve  the  semiconductor  equations,  we  must  iterate.    Why?  
   
a)    Because  it  is  more  efficient  computationally.  
b)    Because  the  three  equations  are  coupled.  
c)    Because  the  three  equations  are  nonlinear.  
d)    Because  the  three  equations  are  coupled  and  nonlinear.  
e)    Because  the  computer  operates  with  finite  precision  arithmetic.  
 
 

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