Semiconductor Devices I, EE 221, Spring 2014 Page 1 of 5

San Jos State University

Department of Electrical Engineering
EE 221, Semiconductor Devices I, Section-01, Spring
2014
Instructor:
M. Javad Zoroofchi
Office Location:
ENG 255
Telephone:
(408) 924-3919
Email:
Mohammad.Zoroofchi@sjsu.edu
Office Hours:
TR/15:30-16:30, W/11:00-12:00, or by an appointment
Class Days/Time:
MW/19:30-20:45
Classroom:
ENG 345
Prerequisites:
EE 128 or Consent of instructor




Course Description
This course is a prerequisite for all electronics area courses and reviews semiconductor
device physics and technology. The students are expected to have some background in
atomic physics and solid state physics for this course. The course is divided into four
parts- semiconductor fundamentals, p-n junctions, bipolar junction transistors (BJT), and
field effect transistors (FET).


Course Goals and Student Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
LO1 Describe fundamental concepts of solid-state physics applied to the semiconductor
devices by silicon and compound semiconductor materials.
LO2 Explain general electrical behavior of semiconductor Si and GaAs, construct
appropriate physical models.
LO3 Illustrate structural details and current-voltage characteristics of p-n junction diode,
BJT, MOSFET, Metal/semiconductor diode, and MESFET.
Semiconductor Devices I, EE 221, Spring 2014 Page 2 of 5
LO4 Apply the fundamental understanding of semiconductor devices with knowledge on
the limitations of physical models.
Required Texts/Readings
Textbook
Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology, 3rd Edition, by S.M. Sze and M.K.
Lee, Wiley 2012, ISBN 978-0470-53794-7
Other Readings
1. Semiconductor Device Fundamentals, by R. F. Pierret, Addison Wesley 1996
(reference only)
2. Device Electronics for Integrated Circuits, 3
rd
Edition, by Muller and Kamins, Wiley
2003 (reference only)
3. Physics and Technology of Semiconductor Devices, by A. S. Grove Wiley 1967
(reference only)
Classroom Protocol
Students are expected to participate actively in class. Students will turn their cell phones
off or put them on vibrate mode while in class. They will not answer their phones in
class.
Dropping and Adding
Students are responsible for understanding the policies and procedures about add/drop,
grade forgiveness, etc. Refer to the current semesters Catalog Policies section at
http://info.sjsu.edu/static/catalog/policies.html. Add/drop deadlines can be found on the
current academic calendar web page located at
http://www.sjsu.edu/academic_programs/calendars/academic_calendar/. The Late Drop
Policy is available at http://www.sjsu.edu/aars/policies/latedrops/policy/. Students should
be aware of the current deadlines and penalties for dropping classes.

Information about the latest changes and news is available at the Advising Hub at
http://www.sjsu.edu/advising/.
Assignments and Grading Policy
Lecture notes, homework assignments, homework solutions, etc. are available on SJSU
CANVAS. Homework will be assigned but will not be collected. Solutions to homework
problems will be provided periodically during the semester.

Exams:
There will be two midterm examinations, and a final examination. All examinations will
be closed books and closed notes except for one sheet of formulae for midterm
examination and three sheets of formulae for the final examination.
Semiconductor Devices I, EE 221, Spring 2014 Page 3 of 5
Midterm Exam #1 (Ch 1,2,3) W Mar 05, 14

Midterm exam #2 (Ch 3,4,5) W Apr 23, 14

Final Exam (comprehensive) M May 19, 14 (19:45-22:00)

Grading:

Two midterm exams 60%

Final exam 40%

University Policies
Academic integrity
Your commitment as a student to learning is evidenced by your enrollment at San Jose
State University. The Universitys Academic Integrity policy, located at
http://www.sjsu.edu/senate/S07-2.htm, requires you to be honest in all your academic
course work. Faculty members are required to report all infractions to the office of
Student Conduct and Ethical Development. The Student Conduct and Ethical
Development website is available at http://www.sa.sjsu.edu/judicial_affairs/index.html.
Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Cheating on exams or plagiarism
(presenting the work of another as your own, or the use of another persons ideas without
giving proper credit) will result in a failing grade and sanctions by the University. For
this class, all assignments are to be completed by the individual student unless otherwise
specified. If you would like to include your assignment or any material you have
submitted, or plan to submit for another class, please note that SJSUs Academic Policy
S07-2 requires approval of instructors.
Campus Policy in Compliance with the American Disabilities Act
If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, or if you need
to make special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an
appointment with me as soon as possible, or see me during office hours. Presidential
Directive 97-03 requires that students with disabilities requesting accommodations must
register with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at http://www.drc.sjsu.edu/ to
establish a record of their disability.






Semiconductor Devices I, EE 221, Spring 2014 Page 4 of 5
EE 221 / Semiconductor Devices I , Spring 2014, Course
Schedule

Table 1 Course Schedule
Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
1

Jan 23-24 Valence bonds, energy bands, electrons and holes Ch 1, Sec 1-3
2

Jan 27-31

Donors and acceptors, Fermi level Ch 1, Sec 4-6
3

Feb 03-07 Mobility, drift and diffusion currents, conductivity Ch 2, Sec 1-4
4

Feb 10-14 Recombination, continuity equation, high field effect Ch 2, Sec 5-8
5

Feb 17-21 Thermal oxidation, dopant diffusion, ion implantation, Ch 3, Sec 1
photolithography, etching and deposition
6

Feb 24-28

Electric field and potential in abrupt junction, Ch 3, Sec 2-4
ideal current-voltage relationship
7

Mar 03-07 Space-charge-region recombination and generation Ch 3, Sec 5,6
currents, junction and diffusion capacitances, device models
8

Mar10-14 Transient response, junction breakdown, Ch 3, Sec 7
heterojunctions
9

Mar 17-21 Basic structure and operation of BJT, current gain, Ch 4, Sec 1
emitter efficiency, base transport factor
10

Apr 01-04 Ideal transistor currents, modes of operation, Ch 4, Sec 2,3
base resistance, base width modulation, voltage breakdowns
11

Apr 07-11 Frequency response, device models, switching Ch 4, Sec 4,5
transistors, IC transistors and fabrication, heterojunction BJT
12

Apr 14-18 Energy band diagram of ideal MOS structures, Ch 5, Sec 1
effect of bias voltage
13

Apr 21-25 Capacitance-voltage characteristics, metal- Ch 5, Sec 2,3
semiconductor work function difference, oxide charges
14

Apr 28-
May 02
MOSFET current-voltage characteristics, Ch 5, Sec 5
threshold voltage and its control
15

May 05-09

Short-channel effects, device models, Ch 6, Sec 1-5
cutoff frequency, MOS technology, CMOS
Semiconductor Devices I, EE 221, Spring 2014 Page 5 of 5
Week Date Topics, Readings, Assignments, Deadlines
16

May 12-13 Metal-semiconductor contacts, Schottky diodes, Ch 7, Sec 1-3
ohmic contacts, MESFET
Final
Exam

May 19, 14 ENG 345, 19:45-22:00