Duration
10h Th, 5h Pr
Number of credits
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
This teaching unit is dedicated to the study of the properties of semiconductor materials. Using an experimental and physical approach of the phenomena involving these solid media, it aims at elaborating detailed explanations concerning, mainly, transport and optical properties of semiconductors and various structures composed of those materials. Following a short review of basic properties of solids (electronic band structure, vibrational properties and electron-phonon interaction), the course will deal with defects in crystalline semiconductors (impurities, deep defects), electrical transport (charge carrier mobility, magneto-transport), optical properties (dielectric function, excition, polaron, radiative transitions) and effects of quantum confinements in low-dimensionality structures (density of states, superlattices, resonant tunneling, quantum Hall effect). These topics will be treated from the viewpoint of experiment, supported by numerous examples and the theory necessary to explain the studied phenomena will be presented. A part of the course will be dedicated to the uncovering of current topics in the field of semiconductor physics (crystal growth of nanostructures, III-V compounds, wide bandgap semiconductors, diluted magnetic semiconductors).
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
After receiving this learning, the student will have acquired a strong base in semiconductor physics, with a particular emphasis on the electrical transport and the optical properties of this class of materials. He will have received the information necessary to pursue advanced studies in the domain as well as some experimental competencies useful for the laboratory practice.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Concepts of solid state physics.
Introduction to quantum physics.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
The course topics will be presented during oral sessions by the teacher.
Lab assignments : after getting familiar with the experimental setups, the student will have to perform the full characterization of unknown samples using various optical and electrical methods and report the results of the investigation in a written document.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning)
Lectures are delivered face-to-face. Material resources (slides, illustrations, videos) will be available on the eCampus platform.
Recommended or required readings
The course is based on the reference textbook :
Fundamentals of Semiconductors, Physics and Materials Properties, P. Y. Yu and M. Cardona, 4th Edition, Springer (2010).
It can be found in electronic version in the network of libraries of the University of Liege.
Course materials consists of slides to be downloaded from the e-campus platform.
Assessment methods and criteria
The lab assignment report is one part of the evaluation. The other part will consist in the analysis and the discussion of a selected journal paper. The student will be tested on the experimental techniques used in the paper.
Work placement(s)
Organizational remarks
Contacts
Prof. Ngoc Duy NGUYEN (04/366 3604, ngocduy.nguyen@ulg.ac.be)