Fall 2007

Note: A more current teaching of this course with online lectures is available as EE-656: Electronic Transport in Semiconductors.

This is a course about how charge flows in semiconductors with an emphasis on transport at the nanoscale. After a brief review basic concepts, the course consists of four parts. Part 1 focuses on ballistic (and quasi-ballistic) transport both semiclassical and quantum. Part 2 treats collision-dominated transport in bulk semiconductors. The drift-diffusion equation is derived, thermoelectric and galvanomagnetic effects are discussed, and the balance equation approach is introduced. The emphasis in Part 3 is on the physics of carrier scattering, which controls high-field transport in bulk semiconductors and so-called off-equilibrium transport in sub-micron devices. Finally, Part 4 introduces percolation theory and percolative transport in nanostructures. The objective of the course is to develop a sound understanding of the basic concepts needed to understand modern electronic devices. The course is intended to be accessible to students with a general, introductory background in semiconductors, such as that obtained by taking ECE-606: Solid State Physics at Purdue University.

Instructor Course Website

This course is part of a the "Electronics from the Bottom UP" educational initiative being spearheaded by the Network for Computational Nanotechnology with support from Intel Corp.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

• Mark Lundstrom (2007), "Carrier Transport at the Nanoscale," https://nanohub.org/resources/3589.

1. ballistic transport
2. nanoelectronics
3. nanotransistors
4. quantum transport
5. thermoelectrics