Need to learn about semiconductors

[LeonhardEuler]

Hello everyone. Does anyone know of a good book that explains semiconductors? I specifically need to know about band theory and how semiconductors work. I am giving a talk in two weeks and want to really know my stuff. I'm willing to spend a lot of time to learn this stuff well. Can anyone recommend a book or two?

 

[Modey3]

Question. How familiar are you with with quantum mechanics. If so I reccomend picking up a solid state physics book to learn about semiconductors. If your not familiar with quantum mechanics I'd reccomend getting a semiconductor book geared towards undergraduate electrical engineering students...
Try:
Solid State Electronic Devices (5th Edition) by Ben Streetman this is very basic

the literature world is filled with semiconductor books geared towards engineers. I am sure you won't have trouble finding one.

Best Regards

Modey3

 

[LeonhardEuler]

Question. How familiar are you with with quantum mechanics.

I know wave mechanics fairly well (one semester of modern physics and two of physical chemistry) and I've begun learning the linear algebra formalism somewhat. Do you think this is enough to understand a solid state physics book? Even if it isn't, which book would you recomend? I would just like to see what I need to know to understand this stuff and I was hoping this would be an opportunity to learn QM better. Thanks a lot for your help.

 

[chroot]

You're giving a talk in two weeks, and want to know semiconductor physics well? A good education on device physics is at least a year's worth of material. The analysis and design of actual production structures might take another two years.

You really need to narrow down the focus of your talk to something you actually could learn in two weeks.

- Warren

 

[chroot]

You might be able to learn how a pn junction works in two weeks, without any appeal to the underlying quantum mechanics. IMO, a bipolar junction transistor is really out of your reach in only two weeks.

- Warren

 

[Modey3]

LeonhardEuler,

Try Elementary Solid State Physics by M Ali Omar . If you have a backgound in P-Chem you should be able to understand the material. I believe that book is the best undergrad solid state physics book around. It describes band theory in both a qualitative and quantitative way. You don't need to know how to calculate a band structure to understand the fundamentals of band theory. I would just focus on the qualitative stuff if the quantum mechanics gets confusing. Before I started doing band structure calculations that's how I initially learned band theory.

Best Regards

Modey3

 

[Dr Transport]

Look at either Yu and Cardona or Chuang, both have the material you will need to know for device physics using semiconductors. What is your talk on and we can taylor the reference material to support it...

 

[LeonhardEuler]

Look at either Yu and Cardona or Chuang, both have the material you will need to know for device physics using semiconductors. What is your talk on and we can taylor the reference material to support it...

The talk is going to be about 15 minutes long and be about work functions, pn junctions, band gaps and density of states.

Chroot- Sorry I wasn't clear about what this talk was for. I have to give this talk for a class I'm taking. I'm supposed to learn about this stuff on my own and then give a talk about it to be graded. Nobody is expecting me to know this stuff well already.

Thanks for your help. I already picked up the Streetman book from the library and it is helpful. I will head back to see if I can find the books Dr Transport mentioned or the other one Modey3 mentioned.

 

[Dr Transport]

The first three chapters of Chuang will be really helpful for your talk...

 

[LeonhardEuler]

Thanks everyone. I think I have enough to work with.

 

[Gokul43201]

An addition to your library list :

S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, Ch. 1 & 2

 

[sid211]

You're probably not in India, there's this book INTRODUCTION TO SEMICoNDUCTORS by RD Sharma. Its good.