FYS4280 – Semiconductor Components

After completing the course, you will be able to:

• explain the basic properties of semiconductor materials (bandgap, charge carriers, mobility, doping, Fermi level, conductivity, recombination, and luminescence), and analytically calculate the operational flow and diffusion flow.
• describe the behavior of a diode and analytically calculate contact potential, depletion zone, electric field strength, charge carrier distributions, and current-voltage relationship.
• explain the behavior of the field effect transistors and bipolar transistors, and use analytical models for these transistors to calculate the relationship between current and voltage.
• describe the optical processes in semiconductor materials and explain the behavior of photodiodes like the photo detector and solar cell. In particular, you will be able to analyze a solar cell and calculate its electrical power.
• explain the difference between spontaneous and stimulated emission and how this can be used in light-emitting devices and laser. You will also be able to describe the important material properties for LED's and semiconductor lasers.
• practically make a Schottky diode on their own in the cleanroom and with support from others also make a metal-oxide field-effect transistor. Furthermore, you will be able to measure the electrical components and evaluate their performance.
• collect information on their own and evaluate new semiconductor materials and components with regard to photovoltaic and electronic applications.

Students admitted at UiO must apply for courses in Studentweb. Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

Nordic citizens and applicants residing in the Nordic countries may apply to take this course as a single course student.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures for international applicants.

The following courses must be taken earlier than the first mandatory laboratory in FYS4280:

• HMS0503 – Laboratory Safety
• HMS0505 – Electricity Safety

The first lecture is mandatory. If you are unable to attend, the Department of Physics has to be informed no later than the same day (studieinfo@fys.uio.no), or else you will lose your place in the course.

The course extends over a full semester:

• 2 to 4 hours of lectures per week (34 hours in total)
• 5 hours of problem-solving (27 hours in total)
• 5 laboratory exercises of 4 hours each (mandatory attendance)

As the teaching involves laboratory and/or field work, you should consider taking out a separate travel and personal risk insurance. Read about your insurance cover as a student.

• Written midterm exam, 3 hours, which counts 20 % towards the final grade.
• Lab report, which counts 20 % towards the final grade. The lab report is to be based on the five compulsory lab exercises.
• Final oral exam, which counts 60 % towards the final grade.

You must pass both the midterm exam and hand in and pass the lab report before you can sit the final oral exam.

It will also be counted as one of the three attempts to sit the exam for this course, if you sit the exam for one of the following courses: FYS3280 – Semiconductor Components

Examination support material allowed on the written midterm examination:

• Øgrim og Lian: "Størrelser og enheter i fysikk og teknikk"
• Rottman: "Matematisk formelsamling"
• Sheet of formulae that will be handed out at the exam
• Approved calculator

Information about approved calculators (in Norwegian)

Subjects taught in English will only offer the exam paper in English.

You may write your examination paper in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English.

Students who can document a valid reason for absence from the regular examination are offered a postponed examination at the beginning of the next semester.

Re-scheduled examinations are not offered to students who withdraw during, or did not pass, the original examination.