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ECE & MatSE Technical Elective

ECE Hardware Laboratory Elective

Minor in Semiconductor Engineering Elective

This (4-credit) course explores the energy conversion devices from fundamentals to system-level issues. The course starts with a review of the electronic structure of atoms and semiconductors, quantum physics, and compound semiconductors. Then semiconductor heterostructures and low dimensional quantum structures, forming the basis of modern devices such as light emitting diodes and solar cells are introduced. Topics covered include energy transfer between photons and electron-hole pairs, light emission and capture, emission and absorption engineering via device simulation/design, radiative and non-radiative processes in devices, electrical and optical characteristics, carrier diffusion and mobility, and light extraction and trapping for high efficiency devices. Classroom lectures, computer labs, and cleanroom labs reinforce modern device design and analysis such as light emitting diodes and solar cells.

This course was created and is regularly updated thanks to the contributions from National Science Foundation, Naval Research Laboratory, IBM, INTEL, MicroLink Devices, and Crosslight.