This course provides an in-depth treatment of semiconductor physics and of electronic devices including pn junctions, Schottky and Ohmic contacts, heterojunctions, and bipolar junction transistors at the Senior undergraduate level. ECE 103 or the equivalent is required as a prerequisite. ECE 135A serves as a prerequisite for ECE 135B (Electronic Devices).
Course information, announcements, problem sets, exams, etc. will be made available as the quarter progresses.
This site will be updated throughout the quarter.
12/11/06:
Final exams may be picked up at my office (3809 EBU1)
starting today.
12/11/06:
The results for the final exam are as follows: mean = 62.6,
median = 66, standard deviation = 19.1, range = 31-84. The
full distribution of final exam scores
is available. Final exam solutions
are also available.
12/1/06:
Problem Set 6 has been graded; the graded problem sets
are available on the bookcase outside my office.
11/30/06:
My office hours for next week will be as follows:
Wednesday 12/6/06 10AM-noon.
11/30/06:
Problem Set 6 solutions are
now available.
11/28/06:
To help you prepare for the final exam, you may wish to
study the following documents:
Fall 2004 Final Exam,
Fall 2004 Final Exam solutions,
and Fall 2004 Final Exam distribution
of scores.
11/7/06:
The FINAL EXAM will be administered as scheduled
on Thursday 12/7/06, 8:00-11:00AM in our usual lecture location. For the exam,
you will be allowed to use a calculator and one page (8.5"x11", ONE SIDE)
of notes. You will be required to turn in your page of notes
with your exam (it will be returned to you with your graded exam).
No other materials, e.g., textbooks, class notes, problem sets, etc.
are allowed. You should bring a blue book in which to write your exam.
The exam will cover material from the entire quarter.
11/20/06:
Solutions to Midterm Exam 2
are available.
11/20/06:
The results for the second midterm exam are as follows:
median = 55, mean = 56.1, standard deviation = 15.7,
range = 37-76. The
full distribution of scores
is also available.
11/20/06:
Problem Set 6 was distributed
in class on Thursday 11/16/06 and will be due in class
on Thursday 11/30/06.
11/14/06:
Problem Set 5 solutions are
now available.
11/7/06:
To help you prepare for the second midterm exam, you may wish to
study the following documents:
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam 2,
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam 2 solutions,
and Fall 2004 Midterm Exam 2 distribution
of scores.
11/7/06:
The SECOND MIDTERM EXAM will be administered as scheduled
on Thursday 11/16/06, in class (9:30-10:50AM). For the exam,
you will be allowed to use a calculator and one page (8.5"x11", one side)
of notes. You will be required to turn in your page of notes
with your exam (it will be returned to you with your graded exam).
No other materials, e.g., textbooks, class notes, problem sets, etc.
are allowed. You should bring a blue book in which to write your exam.
The exam will cover material from the cutoff for the first midterm
exam through the end of our discussion of pn junctions in lecture
on 11/7/06. Mastery of material from earlier in the course
that is required to understand pn junctions is assumed as well.
10/31/06:
There will be no lecture on Thursday 11/9/06.
10/31/06:
Problem Set 5 was handed
out in class today and is due in class on Tuesday 11/14/06.
10/31/06:
Problem Set 4 solutions are
now available.
10/24/06:
Problem Set 4 was handed
out in class today and is due in class on Tuesday 10/31/06.
10/24/06:
Problem Set 3 solutions are
now available.
10/20/06:
Solutions to Midterm Exam 1
are available.
10/20/06:
The results for the first midterm exam are as follows:
median = 70, mean = 71, standard deviation = 12.9,
range = 50-90. The
full distribution of scores
is also available.
10/10/06:
Problem Set 3 was handed
out in class today and is due in class on Tuesday 10/24/06.
10/10/06:
Problem Set 2 solutions are
now available.
10/9/06:
To help you prepare for the first midterm exam, you may wish to
study the following documents:
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam 1,
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam 1 solutions,
and Fall 2004 Midterm Exam 1 distribution
of scores.
10/9/06:
The FIRST MIDTERM EXAM will be administered as scheduled
on Thursday 10/19/06, in class (9:30-10:50AM). For the exam,
you will be allowed to use a calculator and one page (8.5"x11", one side)
of notes. You will be required to turn in your page of notes
with your exam (it will be returned to you with your graded exam).
No other materials, e.g., textbooks, class notes, problem sets, etc.
are allowed. You should bring a blue book in which to write your exam.
When we are closer to the exam date, I will announce in lecture and
post on the web site more detailed information about the material
for which you will be responsible for the exam.
10/3/06:
Problem Set 1 solutions are
now available.
10/3/06:
Problem Set 2 was handed
out in class today and is due in class on Tuesday 10/10/06.
9/27/06:
As I will be out of town Thursday and Friday of this week,
I will not have my regular office hours on Friday 9/29.
You may contact me by email if you have questions and I
will be able to respond on Saturday 9/30.
9/26/06:
Problem Set 1 was handed
out today (morning lecture) and is due in class on
Tuesday 10/3/06.
9/25/06:
A MAKEUP LECTURE for this Thursday's missed lecture
has been scheduled for TUESDAY 9/26/06, 5:00-6:20PM
(tomorrow), in Center 224B.
9/21/06:
There will be no lecture on Thursday 9/28/06. A makeup
lecture will be scheduled.
9/14/06:
The first class meeting will be 9:30AM Thursday 9/21/06.
Instructor
Teaching Assistants
Grader
Schedule
Texts
Grading
General Course Policy
Course Topics
Lecture Topics and Assigned Reading
Lecture Notes
Problem Sets (downloadable
.pdf files)
and Solutions
Other Course Materials (links, input
files, downloadable .pdf files)
Professor Ed Yu
Office Hours: M 1:00-2:00PM, Fr 9:00-10:00AM
none
TBA
Lectures:
Discussion sections:
Required Text:
Additional References:
Grades will be computed using Option 1 and Option 2 below. You will receive the higher of your two computed grades.
| Option 1 | Option 2 | ||
| Problem Sets | 10% | 0% | approximately one per week |
| Midterm 1 | 20% | 25% | 9:30-10:50AM, in class, tentatively scheduled for Thursday October 19 |
| Midterm 2 | 20% | 25% | 9:30-10:50AM, in class, tentatively scheduled for Thursday November 16 |
| Final Exam | 50% | 50% | 8:00-11:00AM, Thursday December 7, 2006 |
The above percentages are not carved in stone. If it appears that you
have merely had a "bad day" during one of the exams, I am willing to
be flexible. However, the degree of flexibility exhibited will be
highly dependent on your performance on the other exams and
especially on the problem sets!
In general, reasonable partial credit will be given on exams.
If an exam regrade is requested, please see the course instructor.
At the instructor's discretion the entire exam may be regraded
and, depending on the merits of one's request, the overall exam grade
may either increase or decrease.
See section on
Grading for course policies on grading.
Discussion of course material
and homework problems is permitted and indeed encouraged. However,
each student should work through the homework problems and
write up his or her solutions independently. See the
class handout
or the section of this web site
on academic integrity for a more explicit statement of this policy.
Completed problem sets are to
be handed in in class. Extensions will not be granted
on problem sets except for extremely compelling and
thoroughly documented reasons, which must be approved in advance
by the instructor. Solutions for the problem sets will generally
be available on this Web site after class the same day the
assignment is due. No credit will be given for any problem sets
received after the solutions have been posted.
Requests for exam rescheduling
should be made well in advance of the anticipated exam date.
Such requests will generally be honored only for extremely compelling
and thoroughly documented reasons. If a rescheduled exam is truly
needed, however, we will do our best to make the necessary arrangements.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Ethics and integrity in both academic and professional affairs should be part of your education at UCSD. Academic integrity is a serious matter and will be treated as such in ECE 135A. My hope is that this will be beneficial to your education both technically and in a much broader sense.
While I am confident that the large majority of students will naturally perform in accordance with the university's guidelines and regulations regarding academic integrity, I provide below an explicit statement of course policy in this regard.
Problem Sets:
ECE 135A course policy is that discussion of course material, including homework problems, is allowed and indeed encouraged. However, each student should work through assigned homework problems and write up his or her solutions independently. Problem-solving is an extremely useful skill in itself, and in addition is the only really effective way to learn the material!
Specifically, each student is responsible for working out and writing up his or her own solutions to each problem set. Discussion of the course material and problems is encouraged, but practices such allowing a classmate to copy your homework solutions, or a group working out a problem solution together which everyone then copies down and turns in, are forbidden. Students caught violating course policy on problem sets will receive a warning possibly followed by a grading penalty and further disciplinary action, in accordance with university policy.
Examinations:
In general you will be allowed to use one page (8.5"x11", one side) of notes, a calculator, writing implements and erasers, and blue books during exams. No other materials will be allowed. Students who are caught using unauthorized materials during an exam, copying from a classmate on exams, continuing to work on an exam after time has been called, or violating exam or course rules in some other manner are likely, at a minimum, to receive a score of zero on that exam and may be subject to further disciplinary action, again in accordance with university policy.
For further information:
Students with questions about course policy should consult the course instructor.
UCSD's policy on academic integrity is posted at http://ugr8.ucsd.edu/judicial/ad-guide.html
| Topic | Reading (Shur) |
| Semiconductor material properties: | |
| Basics of quantum mechanics | Sections 1.1-1.3 |
| Crystal structure, band structure, Brillouin zones | Sections 1.4-1.5 |
| Semiconductor statistics and transport | Sections 1.6-1.12 |
| pn junctions | |
| Brief review of pn junction behavior | Sections 2.1-2.6, 2.8 |
| pn junctions for optoelectronic devices | (Chapter 5) |
| Tunnel diodes | Sections 2.7 |
| Schottky and Ohmic contacts; heterojunctions | |
| Schottky contacts | Sections 2.9-2.10 |
| Ohmic contacts | Section 2.11 |
| Heterojunctions | Section 2.12 |
| Additional topics as time permits |
Problem sets for ECE 135A may be viewed/downloaded as .pdf files using the links below. In addition, printed copies of the problem sets are generally available in the wall folders outside 3809 EBU1.
Problem set solutions are available here as .pdf files.
Solutions are generally made available online after the exam or after
class on the day the assignments are due.
Problem Set 1
Problem Set 1 solutions
Problem Set 2
Problem Set 2 solutions
Problem Set 3
Problem Set 3 solutions
Problem Set 4
Problem Set 4 solutions
Problem Set 5
Problem Set 5 solutions
Problem Set 6
Problem Set 6 solutions
Handouts and other supplementary materials for ECE 135A are available
using the links below. In addition, printed copies of the handouts
are generally available in the wall folders outside 3809 EBU1.
Course Syllabus:
.pdf
Course Policy on Academic
Integrity:
.pdf
Midterm Exam 1 Solutions:
.pdf
MATLAB tutorial from Southern Illinois University
MATLAB tutorial from Yale University
PCMolecule2/MacMolecule2 Lite:
Semiconductor
International: This site contains a wealth of information
on semiconductor technology and the semiconductor industry.