Semiconductors

The 4th edition of this highly successful textbook features copious material for a complete upper-level undergraduate or graduate course, guiding readers to the point where they can choose a specialized topic and begin supervised research. The textbook provides an integrated approach beginning from the essential principles of solid-state and semiconductor physics to their use in various classic and modern semiconductor devices for applications in electronics and photonics. The text highlights many practical aspects of semiconductors: alloys, strain, heterostructures, nanostructures, amorphous semiconductors, and noise, which are essential aspects of modern semiconductor research but often omitted in other textbooks. This textbook also covers advanced topics, such as Bragg mirrors, resonators, polarized and magnetic semiconductors, nanowires, quantum dots, multi-junction solar cells, thin film transistors, and transparent conductive oxides. The 4th edition includes many updates and chapters on 2D materials and aspects of topology. The text derives explicit formulas for many results to facilitate a better understanding of the topics. Having evolved from a highly regarded two-semester course on the topic, The Physics of Semiconductors requires little or no prior knowledge of solid-state physics. More than 2100 references guide the reader to historic and current literature including original papers, review articles and topical books, providing a go-to point of reference for experienced researchers as well.

Excellent bridge between general solid-state physics textbook and research articles packed with providing detailed explanations of the electronic, vibrational, transport, and optical properties of semiconductors "The most striking feature of the book is its modern outlook ... provides a wonderful foundation. The most wonderful feature is its efficient style of exposition ... an excellent book." Physics Today "Presents the theoretical derivations carefully and in detail and gives thorough discussions of the experimental results it presents. This makes it an excellent textbook both for learners and for more experienced researchers wishing to check facts. I have enjoyed reading it and strongly recommend it as a text for anyone working with semiconductors ... I know of no better text ... I am sure most semiconductor physicists will find this book useful and I recommend it to them." Contemporary Physics Offers much new material: an extensive appendix about the important and by now well-established, deep center known as the DX center, additional problems and the solutions to over fifty of the problems at the end of the various chapters.

The book provides an overview of the fascinating spectrum of semiconductor physics, devices and applications, presented from a historical perspective. It covers the development of the subject from its inception in the early nineteenth century to the recent millennium. Written in a lively, informal style, it emphasizes the interaction between pure scientific push and commercial pull, on the one hand, and between basic physics, materials, and devices, on the other. It also sets the various device developments in the context of systems requirements and explains how such developments met wide ranging consumer demands. It is written so as to appeal to students at all levels in physics, electrical engineering, and materials science, to teachers, lecturers, and professionals working in the field, as well as to a non-specialist scientific readership.

Heteroepitaxy has evolved rapidly in recent years. With each new wave of material/substrate combinations, our understanding of how to control crystal growth becomes more refined. Most books on the subject focus on a specific material or material family, narrowly explaining the processes and techniques appropriate for each. Surveying the principles common to all types of semiconductor materials, Heteroepitaxy of Semiconductors: Theory, Growth, and Characterization is the first comprehensive, fundamental introduction to the field. This book reflects our current understanding of nucleation, growth modes, relaxation of strained layers, and dislocation dynamics without emphasizing any particular material. Following an overview of the properties of semiconductors, the author introduces the important heteroepitaxial growth methods and provides a survey of semiconductor crystal surfaces, their structures, and nucleation. With this foundation, the book provides in-depth descriptions of mismatched heteroepitaxy and lattice strain relaxation, various characterization tools used to monitor and evaluate the growth process, and finally, defect engineering approaches. Numerous examples highlight the concepts while extensive micrographs, schematics of experimental setups, and graphs illustrate the discussion. Serving as a solid starting point for this rapidly evolving area, Heteroepitaxy of Semiconductors: Theory, Growth, and Characterization makes the principles of heteroepitaxy easily accessible to anyone preparing to enter the field.

Since its inception in 1966, the series of numbered volumes known as Semiconductors and Semimetals has distinguished itself through the careful selection of well-known authors, editors, and contributors. The Willardson and Beer series, as it is widely known, has succeeded in producing numerous landmark volumes and chapters. Not only did many of these volumes make an impact at the time of their publication, but they continue to be well-cited years after their original release. Recently, Professor Eicke R. Weber of the University of California at Berkeley joined as a co-editor of the series. Professor Weber, a well-known expert in the field of semiconductor materials, will further contribute to continuing the series' tradition of publishing timely, highly relevant, and long-impacting volumes. Some of the recent volumes, such as Hydrogen in Semiconductors, Imperfections in III/V Materials, Epitaxial Microstructures, High-Speed Heterostructure Devices, Oxygen in Silicon, and others promise that this tradition will be maintained and even expanded. Reflecting the truly interdisciplinary nature of the field that the series covers, the volumes in Semiconductors and Semimetals have been and will continue to be of great interest to physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and device engineers in modern industry.

Starting from basic principles, this book describes the rapidly growing field of modern semiconductor detectors used for energy and position measurement radiation. The author, whose own contributions to these developments have been significant, explains the working principles of semiconductor radiation detectors in an intuitive way. Broad coverage is also given to electronic signal readout and to the subject of radiation damage.

Narrow gap semiconductors are the most important materials for the preparation of advanced modern infrared systems. They often operate at the extremes of the rules of semiconductor science. This book offers clear descriptions of crystal growth and the fundamental structure and properties of these unique materials. Topics covered include band structure, optical and transport properties, and lattice vibrations and spectra. A thorough treatment of the properties of low-dimensional systems and their relation to infrared applications is provided.

This book focuses on the exciting topic on self-organized organic semiconductors – from materials to device applications. It offers up-to-date and accessible coverage of self-organized semiconductors for organic chemistry, polymer science, liquid crystals, materials science, material engineering, electrical engineering, chemical engineering, optics, optic-electronics, nanotechnology and semiconductors. Chapters cover chemistry, physics, processing, and characterization. The applications include photovoltaics, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and transistors.