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Browse materialsMIT 6.772 · Spring 2003

Compound Semiconductor Devices

Subject: Physics

Art: not stated, Fletcher's Combined Block Telegraph Apparatus and Bell, 1889 · Public domain

Instructor: Prof. Clifton Fonstad
Term: Spring 2003
Level: Graduate
What's inside: 1 lecture note · 1 reading · 65 other files · 4 web pages
Materials open: MIT OCW

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About this course

Source: MIT OpenCourseWare 6.772 Compound Semiconductor Devices, Spring 2003, Prof. Clifton Fonstad — original course page on ocw.mit.edu ↗. License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Study order: MIT's own listing order, section by section. Taken from MIT's published course files, downloaded from ocw.mit.edu on September 23, 2026. How RedLectern is built.

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42 files

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11 files

MIT OpenCourseWare, Prof. Clifton Fonstad, 6.772 Compound Semiconductor Devices, Spring 2003.

License: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Edition: Spring 2003 · Open the original course on OCW ↗

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Compound Semiconductor Devices

Before you start

What's here, and what isn't

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Lecture Notes

Assignments

Projects

Other materials from this course

Lecture 2: Metal-Semiconductor Interfaces (Schottky Barriers) : The compound semiconductor surface; Fermi level pinning. Theories of barrier formation and of current flow; diffusive vs. ballistic flow; contrasts with p-n diodes. Theory and practice of ohmic contacts.

Lecture 3: Heterostructures : E-x Profiles: ΔEc, ΔEv, Ec(x), Ev(x); no(x), po(x); modulation doping. Conduction parallel to heterojunction; mobility in semiconductors and carrier scattering mechanisms.

Lecture 4: Heterojunctions : Conduction normal to junction: I-V models and characteristics. Theory of graded layers; creation of internal carrier-specific fields.

Lecture 5: Quantum Effect Structures : Quantum wells: theory, fabrication, observation (verification), and application. Quantum wires and dots.

Lecture 6: Quantum Effect Structures (contd.) : Coupled quantum structures: super lattices. Resonant tunneling: RTD structure and concept. I-V theory. Related devices and applications: RTD-load logic, memory cells.

Lecture 7: Epitaxy : Concerns / constraints — lattice-matched systems; strained layers (pseudomorphic) — limits of thickness; impact of strain on bands, properties.

Lecture 8: Epitaxy (contd.) : Techniques — MOCVD, CBE, MBE (MO, GS, & SS). Device Processing : Etching. Surface passivation; dielectric films.

Lecture 9: MESFETs : Basic concept, models for terminal characteristics; accounting for velocity saturation. Dynamic models: large signal switching transients; small signal, high f models. Fabrication sequences; application-specific designs (power, digital, low noise microwave).

Lecture 11: HFETs (Doped Channel) : Concept; I-V model including velocity saturation; gate 2 characteristics; output conductance; applications of strained layers. HFETs (Intrinsic Gate) : HIGFET’s — basic device, features, theory. Complementary structures for logic.

Lecture 12: HFETs (Modulation Doped) : MODFETs — basic device, theory. Deep level problem (transconductance collapse); pseudomorphic solution. Telecommunications applications — key features: gain, bandwidth, linearly, noise.

Lecture 13: HBTs : Concept: emitter efficiency, base transport, base resistance, junction capacitance. HJ collector and collector-up refinements. Applications of graded layers: control of HJ spikes; ballistic injection; problems with upper-valley minima.

Lecture 14: HBTs (contd.) : State-of-the-art commercial HBT technologies (III-V and IV-IV).

Lecture 15: Light Emission and Absorption : Basic theory. Direct vs. indirect gap. Band-to-band and band-to-impurity transistions.

Lecture 16: Dielectric Waveguides / Photonic Crystals : Basics of optical cavities and waveguides. Photonic crystal concepts, structures, issues.

Lecture 17: Light Emitting Diodes : LEDs — structure, materials, characteristics (i-v, l-i, l-l), performance. Light extraction, current spreading, photon recycling.

Lecture 18: LEDs (contd.) : Applications in displays and illumination — considerations, current practice, recent commercial developments.

Lecture 19: Laser Diodes : Feedback and stimulated emission. Cavity design; double heterostructure concept. Quantum well, wire, dot active regions. Strained layers; pseudomorphic active regions.

Lecture 22: Detectors : Structure and theory of basic types: p-i-n (conventional and unicarrier), APD, Schottky diode, m-s-m; resonant cavity concepts.

Lecture 23: Detectors (contd.) : Vertical vs. in-plane geometries. Quantum well intersubband photodetectors.

Lecture 24: Modulators : Multiple quantum well structures, quantum confined Stark effect; SEED. Waveguide couplers, switches, modulators. Photonic Circuits, Optoelectronic Integrated Circuits (OEICs) : Integration goals and challenges; applications.

Lecture 25: OEICs (contd.) : Approaches to integration and current state-of-the-art. Epitaxial stacks, multiple-epitaxial runs, epitaxy on processed electronics (GaAs-on-Si, GaAs-on-GaAs, Si-on-GaAs). Bonding. Hybrid integration. Self-assembly.

Lecture 26: Quantum Effect Devices : Electron waveguides, single electron transistors, etc.

Lecture 27: Device Research Conference Preview / Industrial Overview : What’s new and exciting this year in research and in the marketplace?