ELEN0069-1 : Nanoelectronics / Optoelectronics

Study Programmes 2016-2017

ELEN0069-1

Nanoelectronics / Optoelectronics

Duration :

30h Th, 40h Proj.

Number of credits :

Master in electrical engineering (120 ECTS)		5
Master in physical engineering (120 ECTS)		4
Specialised master in nanotechnology		5

Lecturer :

Benoît Vanderheyden

Language(s) of instruction :

English language

Organisation and examination :

Teaching in the second semester

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents :

This course is a follow-up of the course "ELEN004-1 - Physical electronics". It hinges on two parts:

optoelectronic part: fundamental mechanisms for the emission or the absorption of an electromagnetic radiation by a semiconductor; exploitation of these mechanisms in optoelectronical devices;

nanoelectronic part: presentation of the technical and physical limitations faced by the integrated electronics industry; main elements of wave mechanics; discussion of the physical mechanisms that will potentially be used in future applications of integrated electronics.

More specifically, the following elements are seen:
heterostructures, electrical and optical properties of low-dimensionality devices (MODFET, quantum wells, wires, and dots), tunnel effect, mesoscopic effects and devices of nanometric sizes.

Learning outcomes of the learning unit :

To be able to:

explain how basic optoelectronic devices work;

understand the relationships between the orders of magnitude of the involved physical mechanisms and the design constraints of such devices;

explain the main technical and physical limitations of integrated electronic devices;

explain, by means of examples seen in the lectures, the interest of heterostructures and of low-dimensionality devices;

explain certain quantum mechanisms for transporting charge carriers (such as the tunnel effect) and appreciate their potentials for designing electronic devices.

The completion of a project enables the student to consult the scientific and technical litterature in English, make a bibliographic search, and expose clearly and briefly complex physical concepts.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills :

An introductory course on the physics of semiconductor devices (to the level of the first eight chapters of Streetman)

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :

Depending on the number of registered students, individual or group project, to be presented orally.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :

Face-to-face