This course provides the essential foundations required to understand the operation of semiconductor devices such as transistors, diodes, solar cells, light-emitting devices, and more. The material will primarily appeal to electrical engineering students whose interests are in applications of semiconductor devices in circuits and systems. The treatment is physical and intuitive, and not heavily mathematical.
Read more
This course provides the essential foundations required to understand the operation of semiconductor devices such as transistors, diodes, solar cells, light-emitting devices, and more. The material will primarily appeal to electrical engineering students whose interests are in applications of semiconductor devices in circuits and systems. The treatment is physical and intuitive, and not heavily mathematical.
This course provides the essential foundations required to understand the operation of semiconductor devices such as transistors, diodes, solar cells, light-emitting devices, and more. The material will primarily appeal to electrical engineering students whose interests are in applications of semiconductor devices in circuits and systems. The treatment is physical and intuitive, and not heavily mathematical.
Technology users will gain an understanding of the semiconductor physics that is the basis for devices. Semiconductor technology developers may find it a useful starting point for diving deeper into condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics, and materials science. The course presents an electrical engineering perspective on semiconductors, but those in other fields may find it a useful introduction to the approach that has guided the development of semiconductor technology for the past 50+ years.
Students taking this course will be required to complete two (2) proctored exams using the edX online Proctortrack software.
Completed exams will be scanned and sent using Gradescope for grading.
Semiconductor Fundamentals is one course in a growing suite of unique, 1-credit-hour short courses being developed in an edX/Purdue University collaboration. Students may elect to pursue a verified certificate for this specific course alone or as one of the six courses needed for the edX/Purdue MicroMasters program in Nanoscience and Technology. For further information and other courses offered and planned, please see the Nanoscience and Technology page. Courses like this can also apply toward a Purdue University MSECE degree for students accepted into the full master’s program.
What you'll learn
Students will learn about the following specific topics:
- energy bands
- band gaps
- effective masses
- electrons and holes
- basics of quantum mechanics
- the Fermi function
- the density-of-states
- intrinsic carrier density
- doping and carrier concentrations
- carrier transport
- generation-recombination
- quasi-Fermi levels
- the semiconductor equations
- energy band diagrams
Among the important learning objectives, the course will introduce learners to the process of drawing and interpreting energy band diagrams. Energy band diagrams are a powerful, conceptual way to qualitatively understand the operation of semiconductor devices. In a concise way, they encapsulate most of the device-relevant specifics of semiconductor physics. Drawing and interpreting an energy band diagram is the first step in understanding the operation of a device.
This course material is typically covered in the first few weeks of an introductory semiconductor device course, but this class provides a fresh perspective informed by new understanding of electronics at the nanoscale.
What's inside
Learning objectives
- Energy bands
- Band gaps
- Effective masses
- Electrons and holes
- Basics of quantum mechanics
- The fermi function
- The density-of-states
- Intrinsic carrier density
- Doping and carrier concentrations
- Carrier transport
- Generation-recombination
- Quasi-fermi levels
- The semiconductor equations
- Energy band diagrams
- Students will learn about the following specific topics:
- Among the important learning objectives, the course will introduce learners to the process of drawing and interpreting energy band diagrams. energy band diagrams are a powerful, conceptual way to qualitatively understand the operation of semiconductor devices. in a concise way, they encapsulate most of the device-relevant specifics of semiconductor physics. drawing and interpreting an energy band diagram is the first step in understanding the operation of a device.
- This course material is typically covered in the first few weeks of an introductory semiconductor device course, but this class provides a fresh perspective informed by new understanding of electronics at the nanoscale.
- Energy bands
- Band gaps
- Effective masses
- Electrons and holes
- Basics of quantum mechanics
- The fermi function
- The density-of-states
- Intrinsic carrier density
- Doping and carrier concentrations
- Carrier transport
- Generation-recombination
- Quasi-fermi levels
- The semiconductor equations
- Energy band diagrams
- Students will learn about the following specific topics:
- Among the important learning objectives, the course will introduce learners to the process of drawing and interpreting energy band diagrams. energy band diagrams are a powerful, conceptual way to qualitatively understand the operation of semiconductor devices. in a concise way, they encapsulate most of the device-relevant specifics of semiconductor physics. drawing and interpreting an energy band diagram is the first step in understanding the operation of a device.
- This course material is typically covered in the first few weeks of an introductory semiconductor device course, but this class provides a fresh perspective informed by new understanding of electronics at the nanoscale.
Syllabus
Week 1: Materials Properties and Doping
Energy levels to energy bands
Crystalline, polycrystalline, and amorphous semiconductors
Miller indices
Read more
Syllabus
Good to know
Save this course
Save
Activities
Career center
Solar Cell Engineer
LED Engineer
Nanotechnology Engineer
Semiconductor Device Engineer
Power Electronics Engineer
Materials Scientist
Electro-Optical Engineer
Process Development Engineer
Sensor Engineer
Reliability Engineer
Failure Analysis Engineer
Electronic Packaging Engineer
Microelectronics Manufacturing Engineer
Yield Engineer
Semiconductor Processing Technician
Reading list
Share
Similar courses
- Nanophotonic Modeling
- Fundamentals of Current Flow
- Fiber Optic Communications
- Introduction to Quantum Transport
- Fundamentals of Transistors
- Semiconductor Fundamentals (viewing)
OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.
Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.
Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.
We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.
Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.
Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.
