Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Exploring the “Different”
Shuvan Prashant
June 16, 2014
as part of PHY 1001 Physical Electronics Coursework.
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Outline
1 Heterostructures
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
2 Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Structure
Application
3 Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Like and Unlike
Homojunction
Semiconductor material is homogeneous through out the structure.
Heterojunction
Two different SC materials form junction
Different Energy Band Gaps
Energy Band Discontinuity at the junction interface
Narrow Band gap to wide band gap – Abrupt Junction
Lattice Constant matching must be done
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Energy Band Diagram Construction
Assumption
There are negligible number of traps or generation-recombination
centers at the interface of two dissimilar SCs
Validity: SCs have matched Lattice Constants
Requirements
The Fermi Level must be same on both sides of the interface
The vacuum Level must be continuous and parallel to the band
edges
Discontinuity in band edges is unaffected because of doping
Materials Used III-V Compound Semiconductors
GaAs Eg = 1.42eV Lattice Constant = 5.6533 Ao
Alx Ga1−x As where x can vary from 0 to 1
Eg = 2.17eV Lattice Constant = 5.6605 Ao
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Different Possibilities
Band Engineering
The three possibilities are
Straddling
Staggered
Broken Gap
Types of Junction
Where dopant changes at
junction– Anisotype
e.g nP, Pn
Where dopant doesn’t change –
Isotype
e.g nN, pP
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Energy band Edge Picture
Band Edge energies
The band edge energies
relative to the Vacuum Ref
are the property of SC
Electron Affinity,χ, CB end
to Vacuum Ref
Energy Gap Eg , Valence
Band Edge to Conduction
Band Edge
Fermi Level
Depends on doping level
Work Function,Φ: Fermi Level to Vacuum ref
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Isolated n-type and p-type
Have same vacuum ref
Fermi Levels Differ
Both materials Neutral
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Electrically Connected n-type and p-type
Charge shifts between sides
Fermi Levels Shift until equal
Vacuum Ref is -qφ
Depletion Approximation is good for estimating ρ(x)
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Isolated N type and p type
Similar to homojunction except that the two materials have
different electron affinities, energy gaps, dielectric constants and
effective masses.
Electron affinity of the wide bandgap material is less than that of
narro band gap material
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Isolated N type and p type
In ideal abrupt heterojunction using nondegenerately doped SCs,
the vacuum level is to CBs and VBs.
If vacuum level is continuous , then same ∆Ec and ∆Ev
discontinuities will exist at heterojunction interface Electron
Affinity Rule
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
Electrically Connected N-type and p-type
Charge shifts between sides
Fermi Levels Shift until equal
Vacuum ref. is now -qφ(x) where φ(x) = (q/ )ρ(x) dx dx
Ec(x) is -qφ(x) - χ(x) and Ev(x) = -qφ(x) - [χ(x) +Eg(x)]
Depletion Approximation is good for estimating ρ(x)
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
2D electron gas
Electrons from wide gap
AlGaAs flow into GaAs
Form an accumulation layer
of electrons in Potential well
2d Electron Gas – electrons
have quantized energy levels
in one spatial direction
but are free in other two So
What?
Electron Mobility increases
in the low impurity doping
region (abrupt
heterojunction)
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
2D electron gas
Electrons from wide gap
AlGaAs flow into GaAs
Form an accumulation layer
of electrons in Potential well
2d Electron Gas – electrons
have quantized energy levels
in one spatial direction
but are free in other two So
What?
Electron Mobility increases
in the low impurity doping
region (abrupt
heterojunction)
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
2D electron gas
Electrons from wide gap
AlGaAs flow into GaAs
Form an accumulation layer
of electrons in Potential well
2d Electron Gas – electrons
have quantized energy levels
in one spatial direction
but are free in other two So
What?
Electron Mobility increases
in the low impurity doping
region (abrupt
heterojunction)
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Introduction
Homojunction
Heterojunction
2D electron gas
Electrons from wide gap
AlGaAs flow into GaAs
Form an accumulation layer
of electrons in Potential well
2d Electron Gas – electrons
have quantized energy levels
in one spatial direction
but are free in other two So
What?
Electron Mobility increases
in the low impurity doping
region (abrupt
heterojunction)
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Structure
Application
Limitations of BJT
1 Limit on Current Gain-
Emitter Injection Efficiency
γ
2 γ - accounts for minority
carrier hole diffusion current
in the emitter
3 Doesn’t contribute to
transistor action
4 Increase in emitter doping -
bandgap narrowing offsets
the improvement
5 Solution: Use wideband
gap material to minimise
carrier injection from base
to emitter
n*GaAs
n*GaAs
nGaAlAs
Emitter
nGaAs
nGaAlAs
pGaAs
Collector
Base
nGaAlAs Emitter and p GaAs Base Junc
Energy Band Diagram
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Structure
Application
What made the difference?
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
Structure
Application
What made the difference?
The holes and electrons see a different barrier
The holes are not allowed to go back into emitter
Drastic reduction in Hole Injection – high emitter doping
needn’t be done
Reduction in band narrowing effect too..
So What’s the use ?
High Frequency Device
Lower emitter Doping⇒ Smaller junction Capacitance⇒
Higher Speed
Electron Mobility for npn GaAs is 5 times that of Si⇒ Shorter
Base transit Time
Cutoff Frequencies of the order of 40 GHz
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Thyristors
Three pn junctions in series - pnpn diode
With a gate terminal – Semiconductor Controlled Rectifier or
Thyristor
Switching from an OFF or blocking state to an ON or conducting
state
Wider range of current and voltage handling capabilities than
transistors
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Basic Characteristics
Figure: Thyristor in forward region
Regions
1 Forward Blocking - OFF
State with high impedance
Forward Breakover
(switching) dV/dI = 0 V=
VBF I= Is
2 Negative Resistance Region
3 Forward Conducting - ON
State with low impedance
dV/dI = 0 V= Vh I= Ih
4 Reverse Blocking State
5 Reverse Breakdown region
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Basic Characteristics
Figure: Thyristor in forward region
Regions
1 Forward Blocking - OFF
State with high impedance
Forward Breakover
(switching) dV/dI = 0 V=
VBF I= Is
2 Negative Resistance Region
3 Forward Conducting - ON
State with low impedance
dV/dI = 0 V= Vh I= Ih
4 Reverse Blocking State
5 Reverse Breakdown region
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Basic Characteristics
Figure: Thyristor in forward region
Regions
1 Forward Blocking - OFF
State with high impedance
Forward Breakover
(switching) dV/dI = 0 V=
VBF I= Is
2 Negative Resistance Region
3 Forward Conducting - ON
State with low impedance
dV/dI = 0 V= Vh I= Ih
4 Reverse Blocking State
5 Reverse Breakdown region
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Understanding pnpn as coupled transistors
Bistable device
pnpn diode in forward region is Bistable device
high impedance low current OFF
low impedance high current ON
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Bidirectional Thyristor Diac
Diac Diode for Alternating current
Diac diode as an ac switch
ON OFF States for positive and negative anode voltages
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors
Heterostructures
Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor
Thyristors
pnpn Junction
Diac
Bibliography
Thank You
References
Semiconductor Devices S M Sze I edition
Semiconductor Devices D A Neamann Third Edition
MIT Lectures OCW 6.772 Compound Semiconductor Devices
As taught in: Spring 2003 by Clifton Fonstad Jr.
Pictures for thyristors from www.wikipedia.com
Shuvan Prashant Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors

Heterostructures, HBTs and Thyristors : Exploring the "different"