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Assignment Soln Week3

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8 views

Assignment Soln Week3

Uploaded by

ecemidqp.cmrit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Fundamentals of Semiconductor

Devices
Assignment - week 3
1. Even in the absence of external electric field, electrons/holes undergo thermal vibrations. They
may migrate locally due to local concentration gradients, and local electric fields.

Since there is moderate uniform doping, the magnitude of diffusion current will be zero. Direction of
zero vector is indeterminate and thus cant be compared.

Since electron and holes carry opposite charges, they will experience opposite direction of force, and
thus drift in opposite directions. Since current due to electron is conventionally taken to be in the
opposite direction of its motion, the drift current of electron and hole will be in same direction.

2. 𝑛𝑝 = 𝑛𝑖2 . Since 𝑛 = 1016 cm-3, we get 𝑝 = 1014 cm-3. Thus contribution of hole
conductivity to total conductivity can be neglected.

3. In ideal p-n junction, electrons and holes diffuse from their respective high concentration regions
to low concentration regions. This is possible only when there is concentration gradient of electrons
and holes across the junction. The depletion region is overall electrically neutral as the each mobile
carrier leaves behind one fixed ions. These fixed ions create a built in field which retards the
diffusion of mobile carriers. Ultimately, a steady state is reached and the internal potential thus
achieved is termed built-in potential.

Under depletion approximation, it is assumed that depletion region is free of any mobile charge
carriers.
4. Sample Y has lower drift mobility. For low doping concentrations, the mobility is limited by lattice
collisions and for medium and high doping, mobility is limited by collisions with ionized impurities.

5. 20 KA/cm2. From point form of Ohm’s law, J=σE; and σ=1/ρ, where ρ is the resistivity, σ the
conductivity, E the electric field and J the drift current density.
𝑒𝜏
6. 1.7*10-13 seconds. From the definition of electron drift mobility, 𝜇 = 𝑚∗. Rearrange to find 𝜏 =
𝜇𝑚∗
𝑒
.Note: mobility is given in cm2/Vs, this has to be converted to m2/Vs for units to match.
7. Increases. From Einstein relation, D=μkT/q; As diffusion co-coefficient increases, the mobility
increases. Jdrift = q*n*μ*E; hence drift current increases.

8. In SRH recombination statistics, if the trap density is doubled, what happens to the carrier
lifetime, 𝜏?

a. Carrier lifetime is doubled


b. Carrier lifetime is halved
c. Carrier lifetime is quadrupled
d. Carrier lifetime remains unaffected

Carrier lifetime is inversely proportional to the trap density.

1
𝜏=
𝑘𝑁𝑡

Where 𝑘 is a proportionality constant (which can be expressed as a product of the thermal velocity
of charge carriers and capture cross section of the trap) and 𝑁𝑡 is the trap density. Therefore, if 𝑁𝑡 is
doubled, 𝜏 is halved.

9. Which of the following options are correct with regard to the diffusion length of carrier in a
semiconductor?

a. If the optical generation of carrier is doubled, diffusion length if doubled


b. Diffusion length is the mean distance travelled by the excess carrier before a recombination
event occurs
c. Higher carrier mobility implies larger diffusion length at room temperature
d. Diffusion length of a carrier is a constant that is not affected by temperature

If optical generation of carriers is doubled, then correspondingly recombination rate will also
increase in order to ensure equilibrium. Therefore, carrier lifetime will decrease and hence
diffusion length will reduce.

Diffusion length of a carrier is directly proportional to square-root of its diffusion coefficient.


Diffusion coefficient of carriers has a temperature dependence. Therefore, diffusion length of
carriers is also temperature dependent.

10. Based on your understanding of SRH carrier statistics, which of the following options are correct?

a. Recombination rate increases with temperature, assuming that all other parameters remain
the same
b. When 𝑝𝑛 < 𝑛𝑖2, the net rate of recombination is larger than net rate of generation
c. SRH recombination is a form of radiative recombination, i.e there is emission of
electromagnetic radiation associated with recombination
d. Momentum of carriers cannot change under SRH recombination

When 𝑝𝑛 < 𝑛𝑖2, it means that the actual carrier concentrations are lower than the equilibrium
values. Therefore, there will be a net generation of carriers.

SRH recombination is a trap-assisted recombination process and there is no emission of


electromagnetic radiation associated.

SRH recombination also occurs in in-direct band-gap semiconductors, where there is a difference
in the momentum of carriers in the conduction and valence band (which is typically conserved in
the form of emission of phonons). Therefore, it is not always necessary that momentum of
carriers cannot change in SRH recombination.

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