E-JUST University ECE 317 – Electronic Devices

Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Prof. Ahmed Allam

Sheet 3: Energy Bands and Charge Carriers in Semiconductors

(Reference: Solid State Electronic Devices – Streetman/Sanjay, 7th Edition.)

1. Calculate the approximate donor binding energy for GaAs (εr = 13.2, mn* = 0.067 m0).

2. Calculate values for the Fermi function f(E) at 300 K and plot vs. energy in eV as in Fig.
3-14. Choose EF = 1 eV and make the calculated points closer together near the Fermi
level to obtain a smooth curve. Notice that f(E) varies quite rapidly within a few kT of EF.
Show that the probability that a state ΔE above EF is occupied is the same as the
probability that the state ΔE below EF is empty.

3. An unknown semiconductor has Eg = 1.1 eV and Nc = Nv. It is doped with 1015 cm-3
donors, where the donor level is 0.2 eV below EC. Given that EF is 0.25 eV below EC,
calculate ni and the concentration of electrons and holes in the semiconductor at 300 K.

4. At room temperature, an unknown indirect band gap, intrinsic, cubic semiconductor has
the following band structure: There are 6 X minima along the <100> directions. If mn*(Γ)
= 0.065 m0, mn*(X) = 0.30 m0 (for each of the X minima) and mp* = 0.47m0, at what
temperature is the number of electrons in the Γ minima and the X minima equal if the Γ
to X energy separation is 0.5 eV, and the bandgap is 1.7 eV (m0 = free electron mass)?

5. Since the effective mass of electrons in a conduction band decreases with increasing
curvature of the band according to the equation:

Comment on the electron effective mass in the Γ valley of GaAs compared with the
indirect X or L valleys (See Fig. 3-10.) How is this effective mass difference reflected in

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E-JUST University ECE 318 – Electronic Devices
Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Assc. Prof. Ahmed Allam
ECCE School TA: Eng. Alaa Abdellatif
ECE Department Fall 2022 Semester

the electron mobility for GaAs and GaP shown in Appendix III? From Fig. 3-10, what
would you expect to happen to the conductivity of GaAs if Γ-valley electrons drifting in
an electric field were suddenly promoted to the L valley?

6. Calculate the band gap of Si from the following equation and the plot of ni vs. 1000/T
(Fig. 3-17). Hint: The slope cannot be measured directly from a semilogarithmic plot;
read the values from two points on the points on the plot and take the natural logarithm as
needed for the solution.

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E-JUST University ECE 318 – Electronic Devices
Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Assc. Prof. Ahmed Allam
ECCE School TA: Eng. Alaa Abdellatif
ECE Department Fall 2022 Semester

7. (a) A Si sample is doped with 1016 cm-3 boron atoms and a certain number of
shallow donors. The Fermi level is 0.36 eV above Ei, at 300 K. What is the donor
concentration Nd? (b) A Si sample contains 1016 cm-3 In acceptor atoms and a
certain number of shallow [Link] In acceptor level is 0.16 eV above Ev, and
EFis 0.26 eV above Ev at 300 K. How many (cm-3) In atoms are un-ionized
(i.e.,neutral)?

8. Show that Eq. (3-25) results from Eqs. (3-15) and (3-19). If n0 = 1016 cm-3, where
is the Fermi level relative to Ei in Si at 300 K?

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E-JUST University ECE 318 – Electronic Devices
Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Assc. Prof. Ahmed Allam
ECCE School TA: Eng. Alaa Abdellatif
ECE Department Fall 2022 Semester

9. Derive an expression relating the intrinsic level Ei to the center of the band gap
Eg/2. Calculate the displacement of Ei from Eg/2 for Si at 300 K, assuming the
effective mass values for electrons and holes are l.lm0 and 0.56m0, respectively.

10. A semiconductor device requires n-type material; it is to be operated at 400 K.

11. A new semiconductor has Nc = 1019 cm-3, Nv = 5 x 1018 cm-3, and Eg = 2 eV. If it
is doped with 1017 donors (fully ionized), calculate the electron, hole, and intrinsic
carrier concentrations at 627°C. Sketch the simplified band diagram, showing the
position of EF.

12. (a) Show that the minimum conductivity of a semiconductor sample occurs when
n0  ni  p /  n . Hint, begin with Eq. (3-43) and apply Eq. (3-24). (b) What is
the expression for the minimum conductivity σmin? (c) Calculate σmin for Si at 300
K and compare with the intrinsic conductivity.

13. (a) A Si bar 0.1 um long and 100 um2 in cross-sectional area is doped with 1017
cm- 3 phosphorus. Find the current at 300 K with 10 V applied. Repeat for a Si bar
1 um long, (b). How long does it take an average electron to drift 1 um in pure Si
at an electric field of 100 V/cm? Repeat for 105 V/cm.

14. (a) A Si sample is doped with 1017 boron atoms/cm3. What is the electron
concentration n0 at 300 K? What is the resistivity? (b) A Ge sample is doped with
3 x 1013 Sb atoms/cm3. Using the requirements of space charge neutrality,
calculate the electron concentration n0 at 300 K.

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E-JUST University ECE 318 – Electronic Devices
Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Assc. Prof. Ahmed Allam
ECCE School TA: Eng. Alaa Abdellatif
ECE Department Fall 2022 Semester

15. For a Si conductor of length 5 um, doped n-type at 1015 cm-3, calculate the current
density for an applied voltage of 2.5 V across its length. How about for a voltage
of 2500 V? The electron and hole mobilities are 1500 cm2/V-s and 500 cm2/V-s,
respectively, in the ohmic region for electric fields below 104 V/cm. For higher
fields, electrons and holes have a saturation velocity of 107 cm/s.

16. In a long semiconductor bar (EG = 2 eV), conduction band electrons come in from
the left in the positive x direction with a kinetic energy of 3 eV. They move from
location A to B to C to D. Between A and B, the electric field is zero; between
locations B and C, there is a linearly varying voltage increase of 4 V; between C
and D, the field is again zero. Assuming no scattering, sketch a simplified band
diagram describing the motion of these electrons. Assuming that these electrons
can be described as plane waves, with a free-electron mass, write down the wave
function of the electrons at D. Leave your result in terms of an arbitrary
normalization constant.

17. Assume that a conduction electron in Si (μn = 1350 cm2/V-s) has a thermal energy
 
of kT, related to its mean thermal velocity by Eth  m0 vth / 2 . This electron is
2

placed in an electric field of 100 V/cm. Show that the drift velocity of the electron
in this case is small compared with its thermal velocity. Repeat for a field of 104
V/cm, using the same value of μn. Comment on the actual mobility effects at this
higher value of the field.

18. Use Eq. (3-45)

to calculate and plot the mobility vs. temperature μ(T) from 10 K to 500 K for Si
doped with Nd = 1014,1016, and 1018 donors cm-3. Consider the mobility to be
determined by impurity and phonon (lattice) scattering. Impurity scattering
limited mobility can be described by

where

Assume that the ionized impurity concentration Nd+ is equal to Nd at all temperatures.

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E-JUST University ECE 318 – Electronic Devices
Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Assc. Prof. Ahmed Allam
ECCE School TA: Eng. Alaa Abdellatif
ECE Department Fall 2022 Semester

The conductivity effective mass mn* for Si is 0.26 m0. Acoustic phonon (lattice)
scattering limited mobility can be described by

where the stiffness (c1) for Si is given by

and the conduction band acoustic deformation potential (EAC) is EAC = 9.5 eV for Si

19. Rework Prob. 3.18 considering carrier freeze-out onto donors at low T. That is,
consider

as the ionized impurity concentration. Consider the donor ionization energy (Ed) to be 45
meV for Si.

20. Hall measurements are made on a p-type semiconductor bar 500 um wide and 20
um thick. The Hall contacts A and B are displaced 2 um with respect to each other
in the direction of current flow of 3 mA. The voltage between A and B with a
magnetic field of 10 kG (l kG = 10-5 Wb/cm2) pointing out of the plane of the
sample is 3.2 mV. When the magnetic field direction is reversed the voltage
changes to - 2 .8 mV. What is the hole concentration and mobility?

21. In soldering wires to a sample such as that shown in Fig. 3-25, it is difficult to
align the Hall probes A and B precisely. If B is displaced slightly down the length
of the bar from A, an erroneous Hall voltage results. Show that the true Hall
voltage VH can be obtained from two measurements of VAB, with the magnetic
field first in the +z-direction and then in the -z-direction.

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E-JUST University ECE 318 – Electronic Devices
Faculty of Engineering Instructor: Assc. Prof. Ahmed Allam
ECCE School TA: Eng. Alaa Abdellatif
ECE Department Fall 2022 Semester

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22. A sample of Si is doped with 10 phosphorus atoms/cm3. What would you expect
to measure for its resistivity? What Hall voltage would you expect in a sample
100 um thick if Ix = 1 mA and Bz = 1 kG = 10-5 Wb/cm2?

Best Wishes of Success 