Semiconductor physics resources for beginners? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 01:44:23 am
content: Everything up until this point in school has been a breeze, but in "Semiconductor Devices" I feel like a complete idiot! No matter what I do, I feel like I'm swimming in an endless sea of Greek letters and bizarre equations and piles and piles of shit. My professor can't teach at all... but even when I try to do the research on my own, all I'm seeing is a whole bunch of equations that don't mean anything to me, and worse, they're all written differently than in our class, so I can't really make heads or tails of how the materials match up.Does anybody know of a good resource for this stuff that actuallyexplainswhat's going on? I am having a hell of a time following my professor and my textbook. I tried visiting him in office hours too, he was bloody useless. Nobody else in my class knows what's going on either and I have a sinking feeling that I'm about to fail a class for the first time...Sorry for the rant...but I'm feeling completely flattened by homework I don't understand right now...

author: Alexei.Polkhanov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 04:29:35 am
content: What is your textbook?This a lecture of from absolutely awesome professor from ITThttps://www.youtube.com/course?list=EC4E1A7D28A90C9B41. I have not seen any more detailed and complete lectures on the net. There is open course lectures on subject available from MIT as well but they are too watered down.Book Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory by Robert Boylestad and Louis Nashelsky - very good reference IMHO with tons of examples, DC, AC biasing small signal analysis etc. Survived 7 editions as far as I know.

author: walshms
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 04:38:14 am
content: Solid State Devices, same university. MIT 6.002 is definitely watered down; they use a lumped abstraction approach.

author: ElectroIrradiator
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 06:17:35 am
content: That is a tough one. If they threw you in at the deep end, then my guess would be you may not have the background in physics to make sense of it all.Not sure I can recommend any books, which covers all the bases you need to know about. Will try to think of something...

author: KJDS
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 08:02:36 am
content: Many years ago at uni Bar-Lev was the text book I used.It wasn't the easiest course we took, but far better than Schrodinger's wave equations and Heisenberg's uncertainty.

author: SArepairman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 10:37:59 am
content: semiconductor physics are incomprehensible boring bullshit.just try to pass and get out of it while you canwhats funny is the amount of people that lie about under standing it. at least you class mates are honest! you should hear mine!

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 10:49:37 am
content: Quote from: SArepairman on October 10, 2013, 10:37:59 amI'm guessing you're never going to do grad/doctoral solid state electronics research, ever...

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 11:00:17 am
content: Quote from: Alexei.Polkhanov on October 10, 2013, 04:29:35 amSemiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology by Sze and Lee. (Judging by the good reviews on Amazon, I'd say "my guess would be you may not have the background in physics to make sense of it all" is probably correctThough I promise you my professor is incompetent. He could be replaced by a recording of a guy rattling off equations in a heavy, almost incomprehensible accent and nobody would notice.)I will watch that lecture after school today. Though it looks like Lecture 1 is a bit basic, I see they have many more, with titles including words I have heard before from my babbling professorQuoteLet me clarify - I think my ranty little question might have been a bit vague. I'm perfectly fine with all the circuit analysis-type stuff. Small signal, large signal, blah blah blah, I know my way around a transistor!By "semiconductor physics" I mean things like these questions (from my homework this week):QuoteI think "semiconductor chemistry" would be a more accurate name. And I have no background in chemistry whatsoever.Quote from: SArepairman on October 10, 2013, 10:37:59 amI'm just gladsomebodyunderstands it so I can buy transistors...

author: sub
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 11:10:18 am
content: I've not been through it myself, but I recall hearing good things a few years ago about Britney Spears' Guide to Semiconductor Physicshttp://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm(I probably wouldn't load it up at work).

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 11:12:41 am
content: Well that is one bizarre web site...

author: Alexei.Polkhanov
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 05:37:35 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on October 10, 2013, 11:00:17 amNo this is not chemistry.I am surprised that your university let you take the course without all the required prerequisites. Definite fail on their part.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 10, 2013, 05:52:30 pm
content: Even my adviser told me that I "should have" taken chemistry first. After it was too late. First I had heard of that. It wasn't listed as a prerequisite and the course description didn't lead me to believe I needed it...As usual, the transfer students fall through the cracks because nobody bothers to tell them these things.