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NAME (please print) ________SOLUTIONS ______
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ECE 352 - DEVICE ELECTRONICS 4
Fall Semester 2005
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Examination No. 3 - Tuesday, Nov. 15
The time for examination is 1 hr 15 min. Students are allowed to use 3 sheets of notes. Please show your work, partial credit may be
given. At each problem state explicitly all assumptions that you make in the solution process. Show your work with units, where
applicable. Please write on the paper provided. Use additional sheets only if necessary.
1. (20 pts.). A Si substrate at T = 300 ⎡⎣ K ⎤⎦ contains an acceptor impurity concentration of
0

N a− = 1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ .

a) (10 points) Determine the concentration of donor impurity atoms that must be added so that the material
becomes n-type and its Fermi energy is 0.20 eV [ ] below the edge of conduction band.
The solution

The net doping, under the assumption of complete ionization, determines the density of majority carriers,
thus
( )
⎡ − Ec − E f / kT ⎤
N d+ − N a− = N c e ⎣ ⎦

This yields
N d+ − N a− = 2.8 ⋅1019 e( −0.2 / 0.0259) = 1.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦
which, under the specified assumption yields n = 1.24 ⋅10 ⎡⎣1/ cm ⎤⎦
16 3

The required doping is:

N d+ = 1.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ + N a− = 2.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦

b) (10 points) Evaluate the resistivity of material.

The solution

The resistivity is
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ρ=
qμn n + qμ p p
Considering the established majority carrier concentration we determine the concentration of minority
carriers as

( )
2
n 1.07 ⋅10 ⎡⎣1/ cm ⎤⎦
22 20 3

p= = i
= 9.233 ⋅103 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦
n 1.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦
Because p in much lower than n the resistivity is determined by the electrons. Reading the electron mobility
from the “Useful Data” with the total concentration
NT = N a− + N d+ = 1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ + 2.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ = 3.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦
we obtain μ n = 1100 ⎡⎣ cm 2 / V ⋅ s ⎤⎦
which yields the resistivity
1 1
ρ≈ = = 0458 [ Ωcm ]
qμn n 1.6 ⋅10 1100 ⎡⎣cm / V ⋅ s ⎤⎦ 1.24 ⋅1016 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦
−19 2

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2. (20 points) A slab of n-type Si kept in dark room begins to be illuminated at time t = 0 . The
illumination generates carriers at the rate, GL , which is identical in the entire slab. Assume that the
recombination rate of minority carriers, R p , is determined by the ratio of excess minority carriers,
pn − pno
pn − pno , and the life time, τ p , that is R p = .
τp
a) (10 points) Using the general continuity equation formulate the equation governing the change of excess
carrier density.

The solution
∂pn 1 ∂j p pn − pno
The cont. equation =− + GL −
∂t qN∂x τp
=0

∂ ( ⋅)
Because pno = const and because of the space uniformity ( = 0 ) we write
∂x
(
d pn − pno ) =G −
pn − pno
dt
L
τp
or else using the notation u = pn − pn o

du u
+ = GL
dt τ p

b) (10 points) Determine the initial condition for the equation

The initial condition is u ( 0 ) = pn ( 0 ) − pno = 0 because pn ( 0 ) = pno .

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3. (20 points) A p-type material fabricated by doping the intrinsic Si with acceptor impurity of density
N a− = 6 ⋅1015 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ forms a contact with the gold conductor.

a) (10 points) Sketch the energy-band diagram at thermal equilibrium and indicate the barrier height and
built-in potential.

Ef
qΦ Bp

qVbip

b) (7 points) Calculate the depletion width, xd

E f − Ev = kT ln ( 6 ⋅1015 / 3.08 ⋅1019 ) = 0.222 [ eV ]

qΦ Si = qΧ Si + Eg − ( E f − Ev ) = 4.05 + 1.125 − 0.222 = 4.953 [ eV ]

Vbip = 4.75 − 4.953 = −0.203 [ eV ]

2 ⋅11.8 ⋅ 8.85 ⋅1014 ⋅ 0.203

xd = = 0.209 [ μ m ]
1.6 ⋅10−19 ⋅ 6 ⋅105

c) (3 points) Calculate the barrier height, qΦ Bp .

qΦ Bp = q Χ Si + Eg − qΦ Au = 4.05 + 1.125 − 4.75 = 0.425 [ eV ]

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4. (20 points) A very long p-type Si conductor with the cross-sectional area A = 0.01 ⎡⎣ cm ⎤⎦ was
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fabricated such that the doping level is N a = 10 ⎡⎣1/ cm ⎤⎦ . The conductor remains in room
− 17 3

temperature, T = 300 ⎡⎣ K ⎤⎦ . At the one end of the conductor, designated by x = 0 (x-axis runs along the
o

conductor), there is an excitation causing injection of holes, such that the steady state concentration of
excess holes, Δp , at this end is Δp = 1015 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ . Assume life time of holes to be τ p = 0.1[ ns ] .
a) (10 points) What is the steady state separation between E p and Ec at the distance 0.1 [ μ m] from the
point of excitation.

The solution
p = po + Δpe
− x / Lp
; Lp = D pτ p ; D p = Vt μp .

⎡ cm 2 ⎤
For po = 10 ⎡⎣1/ cm ⎤⎦ we read from the mobility vs. total doping graph
17 3
μ p = 300 ⎢ ⎥.
⎣V ⋅ s ⎦
Thus ⎡ cm 2 ⎤ ⎡ cm 2 ⎤ and
D p = 0.0259 [V ] 300 ⎢ ⎥ = 7.77 ⎢ ⎥
⎣V ⋅ s ⎦ ⎣ s ⎦
⎡ cm2 ⎤
Lp = D pτ p = Vt μ pτ p = 0.0259[V ]300 ⎢ ⋅ −9 [ s ] = 0.2787 ⎡⎣ μ m ⎤⎦
⎥ 0.110 .
⎣⎢ V ⋅s ⎦⎥

Consequently for x = 0.1 [ μ m] we obtain: p = (10 17

+ 1015 e −0.1/ 0.2787 ) ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ = 1.006985 ⎡⎣1/ cm3 ⎤⎦ .

Because p = ni e
( E − E ) / kT
i fp
we can write E − E = kT ln ⎛ p ⎞ = 0.0259 [ eV ] ln ⎛ 1.006985 ⋅10 ⎞ = 0.4159 [ eV ] .
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⎜ ⎟ ⎜ ⎟
1.07 ⋅10
i f 10
⎝ ni ⎠ ⎝ ⎠
p

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Thus Ec − E f p = Eg + Ei − E f p = ( 0.56 + 0.4159 ) [ eV ] = 0.9759 [ eV ] .
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b) (10 points) What is the hole current in the conductor at x = 0.1 [ μ m] .

Using
dp dp
j p = − qD p and I p = Aj p we obtain I p = − qAD p .
dx dx
dp 1 −x/ L
From the expression for the hole concentration we obtain = − Δpe p and thus
dx Lp

⎡ cm 2 ⎤
1.6 ⋅10−19 [ A ⋅ s ] 0.01 ⎣⎡cm2 ⎦⎤ 7.77 ⎢ ⎥
Dp ⎣ s ⎦ 1015 ⎡1/ cm3 ⎤ e−0.1/ 0.2787 = 0.3116 A .
I p = qA Δpe
− x / Lp
= ⎣ ⎦ [ ]
Lp 0.2787 ⋅10−4 [ cm]

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5. (20 points) Give concise responses to the following (the clarity of your writing is at premium here):

a) (5 points) Define the concept of “Low Level Injection”

The LLI assumption means that the concentration of minority carriers injected into a material with carriers
of opposite nature (majority carriers) is negligible with respect to the concentration of majority carries. This
allows us to assume that the injection of minority carriers does not cause any practical change in the
concentration of majority carriers. In other words the concentration of minority carriers is orders of
magnitude lower than the concentration of majority carries.

b) (5 points) Explain the depletion approximation

Depletion approximation means that there are no mobile charges in the depletion region. This means that
the uncovered (not balanced) charge in the depletion region is immobile. The charge density in the
depletion region is determined by the doping.

c) (5 points) What is the interpretation of Fermi-Dirac distribution

The Fermi-Dirac distribution

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f (E) =
( E − E f ) / kT
1+ e
represents the probability that the electron energy, random variable, e, does not exceed the value of E.

d) (5 points) Give the mathematical expression of the “Junction law”, list the underlying assumptions,
define all quantities involved in the expression.
The “Junction laws”
n ( − x 'p ) = n po eVa /Vt for the p-side of the junction at x = − x p
'

and
p ( xn' ) = pno eVa /Vt for the p-side of the junction at x = xn
'

determine the change in the concentration of injected minority carriers caused by the bias, Va . The
symbols n po and pno represent concentration of minority carriers in p- and n-side respectively in thermal
equilibrium.