NCN

www.nanohub.org

ECE606: Solid State Devices
ECE606: Solid State Devices
Lecture 22: Non‐ideal effects
Muhammad Ashraful Alam
alam@purdue.edu

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 1
Outline

1) Non‐ideal effects: Junction recombination
2) Non‐ideal effects: Impact ionization
Non ideal effects: Impact ionization
3) Conclusion

Ref. Semiconductor Devices Fundamentals, Chapter 6

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 2
Topic Map

Equilibrium
q DC Small  Large 
g Circuits
signal Signal

Diode

Schottky

BJT/HBT

MOSFET

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 3
MAA1

Various Regions of I‐V Characteristics

ln(I)
() 3 1 Diffusion
1. Diff i limited
li it d
2
2. Ambipolar transport
1
3. High injection
6,7
VA 4. R
R-G
G in depletion

5. Breakdown

4 6. Trap-assisted R-G

5 7. Esaki Tunneling

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 4
Slide 4

MAA1 Asad: We should redraw the figure ...

Muhammad Ashrafal Alam, 1/30/2009
 Applying Bias
n,p

qVbi
EC‐EF
EF‐EV
x

np
n,p
q(Vbi‐V)

EC‐Fn
V
Fp‐EV
x

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 5
(4,6) Junction Recombination

W ∂n
I R = − qA∫ dx
0 ∂t
∂n [n( x) p( x) − ni 2 ]
=−
∂t τ p [n( x) + n1 ] + τ n [ p( x) + p1 ]

Assume  τn =τ p E i = ET n1 = p1 = ni

∂n ni (e qV A / kT − 1)
2

=− Note: Do you remember this HW ? 
∂t τ [ n( x ) + p ( x ) + 2ni ]

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 6
(np) Product within the Junction

Mass action in non‐equilibrium

2 ( FN − FP ) / kT
n( x) p ( x) = ni e
= ni 2e qVA / kT

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 7
 Electron/Hole Concentrations at Junction

Ei ( x) = EiL − qqV ( x)

ni 2 e qVA / kT
( FN − Ei ( x )) / kT
p ( x) =
n( x ) = ni e ni e[ FN − EiL + qV ( x )]/ kT

= ni e[ FN − EiL + qV ( x )] / kT = ni e −[ FN − EiL + qV ( x )]/ kT + qVA / kT

position
Alam  ECE‐606 S09 8
 Junction Recombination

FN − EiL VA
U FN = UA =
kT kT / q

∂n ni (eU A − 1)
= − U FN +U
∂t τ [e + e −U FN −U +U A ]

⎛n ⎞ ⎛UA ⎞ W dx
I R = − qA ⎜ i ⎟ × sinh ⎜ ⎟ ∫
×
⎝τ ⎠ ⎝ 2 ⎠ 0 cosh[U FN + U − U A / 2]

∂n ni eU A / 2 (eU A / 2 − e −U A / 2 )
⇒ =−
∂t τ eU A / 2 [eU FN +U −U A / 2 + e −U FN −U +U A / 2 ]
∂n n sinh(U A / 2)
⇒ =− i
∂t τ cosh[U FN + U − U A / 2]
Alam  ECE‐606 S09 9
 Junction Recombination in Forward Bias

∂n n sinh(U A / 2))
⇒ =− i
∂t τ cosh[U FN + U − U A / 2]

ni UA W dx
⇒ I R ≈ − qA( ) sinh( ) ∫
τ 2 0 e(U FN +U −U A / 2) Emax

ni UA W dx ln(I) 3
⇒ I R ≈ − qA( ) × sinh( ) ∫
τ 2 0 e − ( Emax x ) /( kT / 2 q ) 2
1
⎡ kT ⎤ ⎡ ni qVA / 2 kT ⎤ 6,7
⇒ I Dep = −qA ⎢ ⎥⎢ e ⎥ VA
⎣ 2qEmax ⎦ ⎣ τ ⎦
4
Effective width Excess Carrier at  5 10
mid‐junction
Junction Leakage in Practice

Insulating Layer

d
p
rj rj
n

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 11
 Junction Recombination in Reverse Bias
W=xn+xp
∂n ni (Recombination in 
=− d l i
depletion region)
i )
∂t 2τ

W ⎛ ni ⎞
I R ≈ − qA∫ ⎜ 2τ ⎟dx
0
⎝ ⎠
ln(I) 3
2
niW 1
= − qA ∝ Vbi − VA 6,7
VA
2τ
4
5 12
Alam  ECE‐606 S09
Outline

1) Non‐ideal effects: Junction recombination
2) Non‐ideal effects: Impact ionization
3)) Conclusion

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 13
MAA2

Avalanche Breakdown 

ln(I)
() 3 1 Diffusion
1. Diff i limited
li it d
2
2. Ambipolar transport
1
3. High injection
6,7
VA 4. R
R-G
G in depletion

5. Breakdown

4 6. Trap-assisted R-G

5 7. Esaki Tunneling

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 14
Slide 14

MAA2 Asad: We should redraw the figure ...

Muhammad Ashrafal Alam, 1/30/2009
Nonlinearity due to Impact‐Ionization

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 15
 Impact‐ionization  and Flux Conservation

I n ( x + dx) = I n ( x) + α n I n ( x)dx + α p I p ( x)dx

I n ( x + dx) − I n ( x)
= α n I n ( x) + α p I p ( x)
dx
dI ( x)
⇒ n = α n I n ( x) + α p I p ( x)
dx

dI n ( x)
= α p [ IT − I n ( x) ] + α n I n ( x)
x dx
W 0
− ( α n − α p ) I n ( x) = α p IT
dI n ( x)
dx

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 16
 Impact‐ionization
x
In(0)~0 W − ∫ ( αn −α p )dx ' I n (0)
I n (W ) ∫α p e 0
dx +
IT
= 0
x
IT W − ∫ ( αn −α p )dx '
1 + ∫ (α p − αn ) e 0
dx
0

I p (W ) + I n (W ) = IT ⇒ I n (W ) ≈ IT
I n (0) 1
≡
IT Mp

x
W 0
x

⎛ ⎞ W − ∫ ( α p −α n ) dx '
1
⎜⎜1 − ⎟⎟ ≈ 1 = ∫ α p e 0 dx
⎝ Mp ⎠ 0
Ip(W)~0
Alam  ECE‐606 S09 17
 Impact‐ionization  x
W − ∫ ( α p −αn ) dx '
∫ α pe
0
0
dx ≈ 1

α p = α n ⇒ α pW = 1

α p = A0 e − B E
1/ 2
qN D xn ⎡ 2q N D N A ⎤
E (0 ) =
−
=⎢ (Vbi − VA )⎥
k sε 0 ⎣ k sε 0 N D + N A ⎦
El t i Fi ld
Electric Field
VA<0
VA=0
VA>0

Position

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 18
Impact‐ionization: In Practice

Good ….

Insulating Layer

d
p Bad….
rj rj
n
Alam  ECE‐606 S09 19
Junction Engineering Insulating 
Layer

d
p
rj rj
i-region
n

E E

Reduced field for p-i-n

p i n junction,
junction because Vbi
(area under the curve) must be the same.
Alam  ECE‐606 S09 20
Modern Considerations: Dead Space

Dead Space

What happens if W is less 
than the mean‐free
than the mean free path ?
path ?

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 21
Zener Breakdown vs. Impact Ionization

How do you differentiate between Zener 
tunneling and impact‐ionization?
Alam  ECE‐606 S09 22
Conclusion

1) Junction recombination is often used as a diagnostic 
tool for process maturity. Defects in junction arises 
from misplaced donor impurities, not necessary from 
p p , y
deep‐trap impurities. 
2) Impact ionization plays an important role in wide 
Impact ionization plays an important role in wide
variety of devices (e.g. avalanche photo‐diodes).
3) In the next class, we will discuss AC response of p‐n 
junction diodes. 

Alam  ECE‐606 S09 23