Solutions:: ECE - 606 Spring 2013 1

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SOLUTIONS: ECE 606 Exam 2: Spring 2013
February 14, 2013
Mark Lundstrom
Purdue University

This is a closed book exam. You may use a calculator and the formula sheet at the end of
this exam.

There are four equally weighted questions. To receive full credit, you must show your
work (scratch paper is attached).

The exam is designed to be taken in 60 minutes, but you may use the full, 75 minute class
period.

Be sure to fill in your name and Purdue student ID at the top of the page.

DO NOT open the exam until told to do so, and stop working immediately when time is
called.

40 points possible, 10 per question

1) 1 point each part – no partial credit

2a) 2 points
2b) 4 points
2c) 4 points

3a) 2 points
3b) 4 points
3c) 4 points

4) 2 points for each part

ECE-‐606 1 Spring 2013
Exam 2: ECE 606 Spring 2013
1) Consider the E(k) plot shown below, and then answer the questions.

1a) Is this a direct or indirect bandgap semiconductor?

Direct bandgap semiconductor (conduction band minimum and valence band
maximum are at same location in k-‐space.

1b) What is the bandgap of this semiconductor?

0.7 eV

1c) Where is the effective mass for electrons the largest, point A or C?

C (effective mass goes as 1/curvature. Curvature is lower at C than at A)

1d) Where is the effective mass for electrons negative, point A, B, or C?

B (curvature is negative there)

1e) What is the velocity of an electron at point D positive, zero, or negative?

Negative. (Velocity is proportional to the slope of E(k).)

1f) If we apply an electric field in the -‐x direction, which direction in k-‐space does the
electron at point D move? (in the +kx direction or in the –kx direction).

+kx direction (Force = -‐q time electric field is positive. Force = d(hbar k)/dt), so kx
increases with time.

1g) If we apply an electric field in the -‐x direction, which direction in real-‐space does the
electron at point D move? (in the +x direction or in the –x direction).

–x direction (Velocity is negative, so the electron moves in the –x direction (later on,
the electric field will turn it around and eventually it will move in the +x direction.)


Exam 2 Solutions: ECE 606 Spring 2013

1h) Compare the density-‐of-‐states in energy, D(E), at points A and C. Which one is
larger?

DOS is larger at point C (Because D(E) is proportional to mass to some power
(depending on 1D, 2D, or 3D), so bigger mass means bigger DOS.)

1i) For common, cubic semiconductors, what is the shape of the constant energy surface
near point A? (spherical or ellipsoidal)

spherical

1j) For common, cubic semiconductors, what is the shape of the constant energy surface
near point C? (spherical or ellipsoidal)

ellipsoidal

-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐

2) Graphene is a 2D semiconductor of great interest these days. For E > 0, it has a
density of states per J-‐m2 that is
2E
D ( E ) = 2 2 .
π  υF
Answer the following questions.

2a) Write down an expression for the total energy of all the electrons in the graphene
conduction band (i.e. for E > 0). HINT: This should be an integral. It should begin at
E = 0 and include the graphene density-‐of-‐states.

Solution:
∞ ∞
⎛ 2E ⎞ 1
W = ∫ ED ( E ) f ( E ) dE = ∫ E ⎜ 2 2 ⎟ ( E− E F ) k BT
dE
0 0 ⎝ π  υ F ⎠ 1+ e

2b) Work out the integral in 2a) assuming T = 0 K.

EF EF
2 2E F3
W= ∫ ED ( E )dE = 2 2 ∫ E 2 dE =
0 π  υF 0 3π  2υ F2



2c) Work out the integral in 2a) but DO NOT assume T = 0 K.

⎛ 2 ⎞∞ E 2 dE
W =⎜ 2 2 ⎟∫
⎝ π  υ F ⎠ 0 1+ e( F ) B
E− E k T

η = E k BT dE = k BTdη

⎛ 2 ⎞ ∞ ( k BT ) η 2 k BTdη
2
W =⎜ 2 2 ⎟∫ where η F = E F k BT
⎝ π  υF ⎠ 0 1+ eη −ηF

⎛ 2 ⎞ ∞
η 2 dη
W = ⎜ 2 2 ⎟ ( k BT ) ∫
3
η −η F

⎝ π  υF ⎠ 0 1+ e

∞ ∞
1 η j dη η 2 dη
F j (η F ) = ∫0 1+ eη−ηF = F 2 (η F ) Γ (3) Γ ( 3) = 2! = 2
Γ( j + 1) ∫0 1+ eη −ηF

4 ( k BT )
3
W= F 2 (η F )
π  2υ F2

3) InSb is a semiconductor with a very small bandgap of 0.18 eV. You may assume that
the conduction and valence bands are spherical with mn* = 0.0116m0 and m*p = 0.40m0 .
Using these numbers, we find that the intrinsic carrier concentration is about
1.4 × 1016 cm-‐3 at room temperature. Answer the following questions about InSb.

3a) For intrinsic InSb, do you expect the intrinsic Fermi level to lie at ( EC + EV ) 2 , above
( EC + EV ) 2 , or below ( EC + EV ) 2 ? Explain your answer.

Conduction band effective mass is smaller than the valence band effective
mass, so conduction band DOS is smaller than valence band DOS. To get the
same density of electrons and holes n = p = ni , the intrinsic Fermi level must lie
closer to the conduction band. Above ( EC + EV ) 2 .


3b) Derive an expression for the location of the intrinsic level. Assume non-‐
degenerate carrier statistics.

Solution:

⎛ E − EC ⎞ ⎛ EV − E F ⎞
n = N CF 1/2 ⎜ F ⎟ = N V
F 1/2 ⎜ k T ⎟
⎝ k BT ⎠ ⎝ B ⎠
For non-‐degenerate carrier statistics:

⎛ E − EC ⎞ ⎛ E − EF ⎞ NC ⎛ E + EV − 2E F ⎞
N C exp ⎜ F ⎟ = NV exp ⎜ V ⎟ = exp ⎜ C ⎟
⎝ k BT ⎠ ⎝ k BT ⎠ NV ⎝ k BT ⎠

⎛N ⎞ EC + EV k BT ⎛ N C ⎞
EC + EV − 2E F = k BT ln ⎜ C ⎟ EF = − ln ⎜ ⎟
⎝ NV ⎠ 2 2 ⎝ NV ⎠

3/ 2
E + EV k BT ⎛ mn* ⎞ EC + EV 3k BT ⎛ mn* ⎞
EF = C − ln ⎜ * ⎟ EF = − ln ⎜ * ⎟
2 2 ⎝ mp ⎠ 2 4 ⎝ mp ⎠
EC + EV
Since mn* < m*p , EF lies above .
2
Putting in numbers and assuming T = 300K, we find: E F = 0.09 + 0.07 eV = EC − 0.02
So EF is too close to EC to use nondegenerate carrier statistics! But solving this
problem with FD statistics produces a similar answer.

3c) Assume that InSb is doped n-‐type at 2 × 1016 cm-‐3 with shallow dopants that are fully
ionized at room temperature. Compute the electron concentration.

Begin with space charge neutrality: p − n + N D+ − N A− = 0

1/2
N D ⎡⎛ N D ⎞ ⎤
2
ni2
This becomes: − n + N D = 0 which can be solved for: n = + ⎢⎜ ⎟ + ni2 ⎥
n 2 ⎣⎝ 2 ⎠ ⎦

n = 1016 + ⎡(1016 ) + (1.4 × 1016 ) ⎤
2 2 1/2
= 1016 + 2.96 × 10 32 = 2.89 × 1016
⎣ ⎦
n = 2.89 × 1016 cm -3


4) Polycrystalline materials consist of crystalline “grains” that are randomly oriented
within the material. The interfaces between grains (so-‐called grain boundaries) are
often charged. Consider the energy band diagram below, which shows a region near
a grain boundary.

4a) Sketch the electric field vs. position. HINT: It is easiest to do this for x > 0+ and for x
< 0-‐ and not worry about what happens exactly at x = 0.

4b) Sketch the electron density vs. position.


Exam 2: ECE 606 Spring 2013
4) continued

4c) Sketch the electrostatic potential vs. position.

4d) Sketch the space charge density vs. position.

4e) Is this grain boundary charged positively or negatively? Explain your answer.

Negatively charged.

Since the charge is positive for x < 0 and for x > 0 the positive charges must be
imaged on negative charge at x = 0.

Electric fields point from + charge to –charge, so from the electric field plot, we
also deduce that the charge at x = 0 must be negative.


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NAME:______________________________________

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ECE-­‐606 5 Spring 2013

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Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

ECE-‐606 3 Spring 2013

ECE-‐606 5 Spring 2013