Chapter 2 DEO40023 Dis 2020

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DEO 40023

OPTOELECTRONIC
Chp. 2 - Semiconductor Physics…

Muhamad Reduan B. Abu Bakar


JABATAN KEJURUTERAAN ELEKTRIK (JKE)
Periodic Structure…
• Semiconductors consist of atoms which are placed in an ordered form
which is called a crystal.
• Crystals are identified based on their lattice structure. For instance
the crystal structure of silicon is like that of diamond and refered to as
the diamond lattice, shown in the figure below.
• Each atom in the diamond lattice has a covalent bond with four
adjacent atoms which together form a tetrahedron.
• Compound semiconductors such as GaAs and InP have a lattice
structure which is similar to that of diamond. However the lattice
contains two different types of atoms. Each atom still has four
covalent bonds, but they are bonds with atoms of the other type. This
structure is refered to as the zinc-blende lattice as shown below.

Diamond structure (Si) Zinc-Blende structure (GaAs)


Cont…
Cont…
Cont…

• Band structure of an n-type

ra34 µη™
semiconductor. Dark circles in the
conduction band are electrons and light
circles in the valence band are holes.
The image shows that the electrons are
the majority charge carrier.
• Band structure of a p-type
semiconductor. Dark circles in the
conduction band are electrons and light
circles in the valence band are holes.
The image shows that the holes are the
majority charge carrier.
Generation & Recombination
Process…

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Pn junction…

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Uniform semiconductor…
• Begin by ignoring the boundaries between different
materials and consider a semiconductor that is infinite in
extend (no properties variation).
• Consider only the allowed energies of electrons in material
and includes the effects of electron momentum.
• Useful in understanding optical properties of
semiconductor.
Energy bands…

• Fundamental principle of quantum mechanics: energy of a system cannot take


on arbitrary values but quantized.
• Only 2 electrons can be in any one level (Pauli Exclusion Principle).

• Electrons can make transition from one energy level to other unoccupied energy
level by absorbing or emitting photons.
• When 2 atoms come nearer: interaction between nuclei and electrons cause
variation in energy level.
• When the distance between the atoms are large, there are 2
energy levels with same value. (degenerate level).
• As R decreases, the two levels split, one going to lower energy (the “bonding”
level) and the other going to higher energy (the “antibonding” level).
Cont…
• When the distance between the atoms become closer, the degenerate
level splits.

Between 2 atoms

Many degenerate levels


Cont…
• Each atom has other energy levels which split
into bands.
• Valence Band: mostly filled with electrons
at zero temperature.
• Conduction Band: mostly empty at zero
temperature.
• Energy gap: separation between Ev and Ec,
forbidden energy
level.
• If hv greater than Eg, photon has sufficient
energy to promote electron from valence
band to conduction band. Created EHP.
• If hv lesser than Eg, photon cannot be
absorbed.
Bandgap energy Eg and relative
dielectric constant r for selected
semiconductors…
Example…

Formula:

Constant:

C = m/s
h=J
e = JeV
Solution…
Energy and momentum…
• A complete discussion includes energy level of electrons as well as momentum, p.
(electron has momentum)
• According to quantum mechanics, momentum is associated with wavelength.
( de Broglie wavelength)
• When the electrons is in a solid, it is no longer freely propagating due to the
interaction with the atoms and solid.
Energy and momentum…

The deviation of
E(k) curve near k
multiplied of π/a
Energy and momentum
•Series of bands that
have the allowed energy
regions are visualized in
the reduced zone scheme
(translated by integer
multiplied of 2π/a)
•Correspond to quantum
state of electrons
whether occupied or
unoccupied.
Energy and momentum
• For a direct-band gap material,
the minimum of the conduction
band and maximum of the
valance band lies at the same
momentum, k, values.

• When an electron sitting at the


bottom of the CB recombines
with a hole sitting at the top of
the VB, there will be no change
in momentum values.

• Energy is conserved by means


of emitting a photon, such
transitions are called as
radiative transitions.
Energy and momentum
Radiative efficiency
• Considering the rate at which the radiative and non-
radiative process occur.
• An electron can decay radiatively when a hole is in close
proximity.
• Radiative transition rate =

• p is number of holes per unit volume.

• Br is constant of proportionality.

for direct AND


for
indirect.
• direct bandgap material has better radiative
efficiency compared to the indirect bandgap material.
Radiative efficiency
• A quantitative measure of the radiative efficiency can be obtained
by considering the rate at which radiative and non radiative decay
processes occur.
• The probability per unit time that the electron will recombine with a
hole is, therefore, proportional to the number of holes that are
sufficiently close, which in turn is proportional to the number of
holes per unit volume, denoted by p. We can therefore write the
radiative transition rate for the electron as:
Radiative efficiency
• An electron decaying by the Auger process, on the other hand, requires
not only a hole for recombination, but also another electron in the
conduction band.
• The probability of encountering a hole isp, and the probability of
encountering an electron is n, so the joint probability is pn n2 (since p n
for laser action). We then have.

• There are then two different processes by which the electron can decay
out of the conduction band: radiative decay and Auger relaxation.
• Since the probabilities for independent processes add, the total
probability that an electron decays per unit time is given by:

• The radiative efficiency i is defined as the fraction of all decays that are
radiative. This is equal to the radiative probability divided by the total
probability, or
Radiative efficiency
Exercise:
Solution:
Layered semiconductor
• Boundaries between different
semiconductors.
• Junction that occurs between
semiconductors with different composition
or between semiconductors and metal.
• Comprises of heterojunction or
metal- semiconductor junction.
Pn junction (homojunction)
Band diagram of PN Junction

•Intrinsic s/c doped with acceptors

(p-type and donor (N-type).


•Diffusion of carriers.
•Depletion region (recombination

process)
•Creates electric field (Barrier

potential/ built-in potential)


Layered semiconductor
Forward bias
Reverse bias
Pn junction (heterojunction)
•Composition and bandgap of semiconductor

are different.
•Example as in the figure on the right side.
•Bandgap of the materials are different and

lattice-matched for any value of x.


•Structure: sandwiched
•Carrier in GaAs encounter large potential

barrier when reach boundary at both sides


and confined to GaAs layer.
•When thickness d made sufficiently small,

quantum well structure is created.


•Wall of considered infinitely high and no

probability of charge carrier move out.


Metal-semiconductor
junction
•Important in connecting s/c device with external circuit. (photodetector, Schottky diode
Metal-semiconductor
junction

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