The main goal is to provide the students with an understanding of the relation between physical structure and circuit behavior of semiconductor active devices. The emphasis is on simple models of the semiconductor, the discussion of the properties of potential barriers and field effect, with the MOSFET as the centerpiece of the course. Simple one-device circuits are used to introduce non-linear behavior, and make the connection to the device physics. The students will learn the relation between external circuit parameters (as used in SPICE) and the device internal structure. At the end of the course the students will know the basic mechanism of rectification, amplification and switching and their implementation with various types of semiconductor devices.

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

Three Laboratory Projects:

1.Measurement of p-n junction diode electrical characteristics with curve tracer; problems worked using data.

2.Measurement of bipolar junction transistor electrical characteristics with curve tracer; problems worked using data.

3.Measurement of field-effect transistor electrical characteristics with curve tracer; examination of integrated circuits; problems worked using data.

Midterm exam

Final exam