Abstract: In the fifth session, Dr. Klimeck will give a brief overview of ABACUS and demonstrate the Bipolar-Junction-Transistor-Lab. Students can experiment with npn and pnp BJTs in ideal textbook 1D geometries as well as realistic 2D geometries. Different experiments with variations in doping profiles, layer thicknesses, and material systems (Si, Ge, GaAs) can be explored. Bipolar-Junction-Transistor-Lab computes internal device quantities such as charge profiles, band edge profiles, and recombination rates at equilibrium and applied bias throughout the length of the device. It also computes the terminal currents in the form of a Gummel plot as well as common emitter output current. The transistor beta is explicitly computed as a function of collector current. Students can also explore intricate consequences of different minority carrier lifetimes. Bipolar-Junction-Transistor-Lab is powered by the industrial tool PADRE which was used at Bell Labs to design transistors.

Series Information: Recent economic needs have re-kindled national and global interest in semiconductor devices and created an urgent need for more semiconductor device engineers and architects. Current students will need to be trained in the fundamentals of semiconductor devices to meet this growing semiconductor demand. Dr. Klimeck will introduce the r tools found in the ABACUS tool suite in nanoHUB He developed these tools to teach his standard semiconductor device class at Purdue University. These tools include simulations of: crystal structures and lattices, bandstructure and band models, bulk semiconductors, PN Junctions, Bipolar Junction Transistors, MOS Capacitors, and MOSFETs. The ABACUS tool suite is very popular, and has been used by over 15,000 users and in over 350 classes globally. The ABACUS group page highlights various features and animations.

The objective of this recitation series is to enable faculty to enhance existing or new semiconductor classes with interactive simulations. Simulations and animations can immerse students into “what if?” scenarios and engage them in more active forms of learning, including explorations used in homework assignments and design projects.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Gerhard Klimeck is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University; Director of the Network for Computational Nanotechnology; Reilly Director of the Center for Predictive Materials and Devices. He helped to create nanoHUB.org, the largest virtual nanotechnology user facility serving over 2.0 million global users, annually.

1. ABACUS
2. Bipolar-Junction-Transistor-Lab
3. bipolar junction transistors (BJTs)
4. semiconductor devices
5. semiconductors
6. tool:abacus