BEng Electronic Engineering with Industrial Experience / Course details

Year of entry: 2023

Course unit details:
Electronic Materials

Course unit fact file
Unit code EEEN10021
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 1
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

This course will cover the following topics:

Introduction to nanotechnology and its importance in today’s society

 

  • Elementary Materials Science

            - Atomic structure and elementary particles (proton, neutron, electron and photon)

            - Bonding and types of solid (e.g. metals, insulators and semiconductors)

            - Crystal structure, properties, and impurities/defects

            - Thermal effects

  • Electrical and thermal conduction

            - Drude model (metals and conduction, concept of phonons)

            - Temperature effects on conduction (conductivity and thermal resistance)

            - Additional extrinsic effects (Hall & Seebeck/Peltier effect)

  • Modern Model of Solids

            - Band theory of solids (electrons and holes in periodic potentials)

            - Effective mass and density of states

            - Fermi energy, ionisation potential and work function

  • Semiconductors

            - Energy diagrams in k-space (direct and indirect bandgaps) 

            - Conduction in semiconductors (electron/hole populations) 

            - Intrinsic/Extrinsic semiconductors (n-, p-type, compensation doping) 

            - Temperature & impurity dependence of conductivity (drift mobility) 

  • Semiconductor Devices

            - p-n, p-i-n junctions (forward/reverse biased, depletion & capacitance) 

            - Bi-polar and FET devices 

            - Optical devices (LEDs, PV, …) 

 

Aims

This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in the current academic year and may be subject to change due to any additional Covid-19 impact.  Please see Blackboard / course unit related emails for any further updates.

The course unit aims to:

  • Introduce nanotechnology and its importance in today’s society (e.g. applications in healthcare, security, and energy)
  • Introduce basic materials physics and explain how insulating, semiconducting and metallic properties arise in solids.
  • Explain how semiconductors can be engineered (e.g. via doping) to exhibit controlled electrical and optical properties within a device.
  • Describe the fundamental building blocks and operation of key semiconductor devices (e.g. field effect transistors)

Learning outcomes

On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

Developed

Assessed

ILO 1
  • Describe different types of solids (metals, semiconductors, insulators), bonding and crystal structure

x

x

ILO 2
  • Describe the different types of conduction in solids and explain how temperature affects this conduction  

x

x

ILO 3
  • Sketch energy band diagrams for different types of solids, including n-type and p-type doped semiconductors.

x

x

ILO 4
  • Calculate electron/hole concentrations and Fermi energy in doped semiconductors

x

x

ILO 5
  • Explain how a p-n/p-i-n junction operates in forward and reverse bias and describe its applications in MOSFET and BJT devices

x

 

ILO 6
  • Calculate the built-in potential, depletion width, diffusion current in a pn junction and emitter/base/collector current in a BJT

x

x

 

Teaching and learning methods

  • Lectures (use of lecture slides to introduce content)
  • Interactive online Kahoot multiple-choice quizzes during lectures
  • Discussion Forum on Blackboard
  • Use of Dashboard during lectures to collect questions and queries (e.g. revision topics to cover)
  • Throwable Microphone
  • Problem Classes (peer-learning on tutorial-style questions).

 

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Other 20%
Written exam 80%

Online Multiple-Choice Quiz.

Length: 30 Minutes

How and when feedback is provided: Immediate via marks on Blackboard.

Weighting: 0% * forms part of the unseen exam

Coursework: 2 Laboratory Sessions that are assessed by submission of assessment form with key questions based around on lab session and data collected. 

Length: 3 Hours

How and when feedback is provided: 2 weeks after submission via marks and feedback comments on Blackboard. 

Weighting: 10%

Tutorial Questions: Activity delivered as part of weekly tutorials:

How and when feedback is provided: 1 week after submission.

Weighting: 10%

Feedback methods

Online Multiple-Choice Quiz: How and when feedback is provided: Immediate via marks on Blackboard.

Coursework: How and when feedback is provided: 2 weeks after submission via marks and feedback comments on Blackboard. 

Tutorial Questions: Activity delivered as part of weekly tutorials: How and when feedback is provided: 1 week after submission.

Recommended reading

Principles of Electronic Materials and Devices by S.O.Kasap, 3rd Edition

Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology by Sze, 3rd edition

Materials Science for Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Ian Jones,

 

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 24
Practical classes & workshops 6
Tutorials 12
Independent study hours
Independent study 58

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Jessica Boland Unit coordinator

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