Understanding Semiconductors

Gain complete understanding of electronic systems and their constituent parts. From the origins of the semiconductor industry right up until today, this book serves as a technical primer to semiconductor technology. Spanning design and manufacturing to the basic physics of electricity, it provides a comprehensive base of understanding from transistor to iPhone. Melding an accessible, conversational style with over 100 diagrams and illustrations, Understanding Semiconductors provides clear explanations of technical concepts going deep enough to fully explain key vernacular, mechanisms, and basic processes, without getting lost in the supporting theories or the theories that support the supporting theories. Concepts are tethered to the real world with crisp analysis of industry dynamics and future trends. As a break from the straight-ahead scientific concepts that keep the world of semiconductors spinning, Understanding Semiconductors is liberally sprinkled with apt analogies that elucidate difficult concepts. For example, when describing the relationship between voltage, current, power, and the flow of electricity through an electronic system, the book draws a parallel to a hot shower and the water utility system. Most of these are paired with clear visuals, giving you the best chance possible to absorb the concept at hand before moving on to the next topic. Whether you’re narrowly technical or don’t know silicon from silly putty, working directly in hardware technologies and want to know more, or simply a curious person seeking hard information about the technology that powers the modern world, Understanding Semiconductors will be an informative, dependable resource. What You'll Learn: Charge, Electricity, and Basic Physics What are Semiconductors The Semiconductor Value Chain and Design Trade-Offs Transistors and Other Common Circuit Building Blocks Semiconductor Design from Concept to Tapeout Wafer Fabrication and Semiconductor Manufacturing Process Integrated Circuit (IC) Packaging and Signal & Power Integrity (SIPI) Common Circuits and System Components RF and Wireless Technologies System Architecture and Integration The Semiconductor Industry - Challenges, History, and Trends The Future of Semiconductors and Electronic Systems Who This Book Is For: People working directly in the semiconductor, electronics, and hardware technologies fields or in supporting industries, hobbyists and new electrical engineering enthusiasts with minimal technical experience or pre-existing qualifications, and curious individuals interested in learning more about a fascinating area of technology. Though designed for a non- or semi-technical reader, engineers focused in one particular domain can also use this book to broaden their understanding in areas that aren’t directly related to their core area of expertise.

Semiconductors and Modern Electronics is a brief introduction to the physics behind semiconductor technologies. Chuck Winrich, a physics professor at Babson College, explores the topic of semiconductors from a qualitative approach to understanding the theories and models used to explain semiconductor devices. Applications of semiconductors are explored and understood through the models developed in the book. The qualitative approach in this book is intended to bring the advanced ideas behind semiconductors to the broader audience of students who will not major in physics. Much of the inspiration for this book comes from Dr. Winrich's experience teaching a general electronics course to students majoring in business. The goal of that class, and this book, is to bring forward the science behind semiconductors, and then to look at how that science affects the lives of people.

An accessible guide to how semiconductor electronics work and how they are manufactured, for professionals and interested readers with no electronics engineering background Semiconductor Basics is an accessible guide to how semiconductors work. It is written for readers without an electronic engineering background. Semiconductors are the basis for almost all modern electronic devices. The author—an expert on the topic—explores the fundamental concepts of what a semiconductor is, the different types in use, and how they are different from conductors and insulators. The book has a large number of helpful and illustrative drawings, photos, and figures. The author uses only simple arithmetic to help understand the device operation and applications. The book reviews the key devices that can be constructed using semiconductor materials such as diodes and transistors and all the large electronic systems based on these two component such as computers, memories, LCDs and related technology like Lasers LEDs and infrared detectors. The text also explores integrated circuits and explains how they are fabricated. The author concludes with some projections about what can be expected in the future. This important book: Offers an accessible guide to semiconductors using qualitative explanations and analogies, with minimal mathematics and equations Presents the material in a well-structured and logical format Explores topics from device physics fundamentals to transistor formation and fabrication and the operation of the circuits to build electronic devices and systems Includes information on practical applications of p-n junctions, transistors, and integrated circuits to link theory and practice Written for anyone interested in the technology, working in semiconductor labs or in the semiconductor industry, Semiconductor Basics offers clear explanations about how semiconductors work and its manufacturing process.

This book provides an overview of compound semiconductor materials and their technology. After presenting a theoretical background, it describes the relevant material preparation technologies for bulk and thin-layer epitaxial growth. It then briefly discusses the electrical, optical, and structural properties of semiconductors, complemented by a description of the most popular characterization tools, before more complex hetero- and low-dimensional structures are discussed. A special chapter is devoted to GaN and related materials, owing to their huge importance in modern optoelectronic and electronic devices, on the one hand, and their particular properties compared to other compound semiconductors, on the other. In the last part of the book, the physics and functionality of optoelectronic and electronic device structures (LEDs, laser diodes, solar cells, field-effect and heterojunction bipolar transistors) are discussed on the basis of the specific properties of compound semiconductors presented in the preceding chapters of the book. Compound semiconductors form the back-bone of all opto-electronic and electronic devices besides the classical Si electronics. Currently the most important field is solid state lighting with highly efficient LEDs emitting visible light. Also laser diodes of all wavelength ranges between mid-infrared and near ultraviolet have been the enabler for a huge number of unprecedented applications like CDs and DVDs for entertainment and data storage, not to speak about the internet, which would be impossible without optical data communications with infrared laser diodes as key elements. This book provides a concise overview over this class of materials, including the most important technological aspects for their fabrication and characterisation, also covering the most relevant devices based on compound semiconductors. It presents therefore an excellent introduction into this subject not only for students, but also for engineers and scientist who intend to put their focus on this field of science.

Spectroscopic techniques are among the most powerful characterization methods used to study semiconductors. This volume presents reviews of a number of major spectroscopic techniques used to investigate bulk and artificially structured semiconductors including: photoluminescence, photo-reflectance, inelastic light scattering, magneto-optics, ultrafast work, piezo-spectroscopy methods, and spectroscopy at extremely low temperatures and high magnetic fields. Emphasis is given to major semiconductor systems, and artificially structured materials such as GaAs, InSb, Hg1-xCdxTe and MBE grown structures based upon GaAs/AlGaAs materials. Both the spectroscopic novice and the expert will benefit from the descriptions and discussions of the methods, principles, and applications relevant to today's semiconductor structures. Key Features * Discusses the latest advances in spectroscopic techniques used to investigate bulk and artificially structured semiconductors * Features detailed review articles which cover basic principles * Highlights specific applications such as the use of laser spectroscopy for the characterization of GaAs quantum well structures

The Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors are contained in this volume. A record 1050 scientists from 40 countries participated in the Conference which was held in San Francisco August 6·1 0, 1984. The Conference was organized by the ICPS Committee and sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and other professional, government, and industrial organizations listed on the following pages. Papers representing progress in all aspects of semiconductor physics were presented. Far more abstracts (765) than could be presented in a five-day meeting were considered by the International Program Committee. A total of 350 papers, consisting of 5 plenary, 35 invited, and 310 contributed, were presented at the Conference in either oral or poster sessions. All but a few of the papers were submitted and have been included in these Proceedings. An interesting shift in subject matter, in comparison with earlier Conferences, is manifested by the large number of papers on surfaces, interfaces, and quantum wells. To facilitate the use of the Proceedings in finding closely related papers among the sometimes relatively large number of contributions within a main subject area, we chose not to arrange the papers strictly according to the Conference schedule. We have organized the book, as can be seen from the Contents, into specific subcategories and subdivisions within each major category. Plenary and invited papers have been placed together with the appropriate contributed papers.

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.