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3.15 Electrical, Optical and Magnetic Materials and Devices Prof. Caroline A. Ross Fall 2006

This document contains a problem set for a course on electrical, optical and magnetic materials and devices. It includes 5 questions related to carriers and pn junctions: 1. Asks students to sketch how carrier concentration varies over time and distance in a semiconductor after light is flashed on and off, and explain the recombination rate. 2. Contains multiple parts asking students to explain drift, diffusion, and generation-recombination in a semiconductor slab exposed to light, and calculate photon flux, absorption depth, and carrier generation. 3. Asks students to describe the diffusion and drift currents and I-V curve shape for a pn junction made of two intrinsic semiconductors with different bandgaps.

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Maciel Gomes Dos Santos
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55 views2 pages

3.15 Electrical, Optical and Magnetic Materials and Devices Prof. Caroline A. Ross Fall 2006

This document contains a problem set for a course on electrical, optical and magnetic materials and devices. It includes 5 questions related to carriers and pn junctions: 1. Asks students to sketch how carrier concentration varies over time and distance in a semiconductor after light is flashed on and off, and explain the recombination rate. 2. Contains multiple parts asking students to explain drift, diffusion, and generation-recombination in a semiconductor slab exposed to light, and calculate photon flux, absorption depth, and carrier generation. 3. Asks students to describe the diffusion and drift currents and I-V curve shape for a pn junction made of two intrinsic semiconductors with different bandgaps.

Uploaded by

Maciel Gomes Dos Santos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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3.

15 Electrical, Optical and Magnetic Materials and Devices

Prof. Caroline A. Ross

Fall 2006

Problem Set 2 Carriers and pn junctions


Due: Wednesday Sept. 27, 2005
Reference: Pierret chapers 5-6

1. (Question 5 from PS 1, repeated)

Light is flashed onto the surface of a piece of intrinsic semiconductor very quickly, then

the light is turned off. Draw a sketch to show how the concentration of carriers varies

with distance into the semiconductor, at different times after the light is turned off. Give

an expression that describes this behavior (note – you do not have to solve this equation,

just explain the various terms). What determines the recombination rate?

2. A slab of intrinsic GaAs, 3 cm long, 2 cm wide and 0.3 cm thick is exposed to

light. The light is absorbed with an absorption coefficient of α = 500 cm-1 (this means

that the light intensity decreases in the material exponentially with distance t, and is

proportional to exp (-αt)). The light is monochromatic with wavelength 750 nm and

intensity 5 10 -4 W/cm2.

a) Explain where drift, diffusion, R and G occur.

b) What photon flux is incident on the slab?

c) At what depth does the intensity decrease to 5% of its initial value?

d) Calculate the number of electron-hole pairs generated per second in the slab (state your

assumptions).

e) By how much does the conductivity change due to the light? (assume a recombination

time of 2 10-4 sec.)

3. Suppose you could make a pn junction out of two intrinsic semiconductors A and
B with different band gaps. The band diagram is shown below. What diffusion
and drift currents are present in the structure at equilibrium and at small bias (i.e.
at applied voltages less than the band gap of B)? What shape will the I-V curve
have?
Ec
Eg,A
Eg,B
Ef

Ev A B
4. Consider the distribution of holes in the n-type region of a p – n+ junction under
forward bias.
a) Sketch the variation of minority carrier concentration with position from the edge of
the depletion region into the bulk n-type region under forward bias. Label the
diagram with appropriate dimensions (e.g. Lp, pn,o) and provide a quantitative
description of the peak height. What is a typical value for Lp?
b) Is drift or diffusion responsible for carrier movement in this region?
c) How does the sketch of part (a) change if the minority carrier lifetime is reduced by
a factor of 10?
d) How does the sketch of part (a) change if the length of the n-side beyond the
depletion region were shorter than Lp? This case is called a ‘short diode’.
e) Would a short diode provide higher or lower current at the same forward bias than a
standard diode?

5. In a simple ‘step’ p-n junction like the one considered in class, we assume that the
charge density is constant in the depletion region. Consider now a more realistic case
where the dopant concentration varies with position as shown below. Assume the width
of this graded region is equal to the width of the depletion region, and NA = ND. Show
how the charge density, electric field and voltage vary across the junction.

dopant concentration
ND

dn dp
NA

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