Wide Bandgap Semiconductors

Units: 3

This course provides an in-depth study of wide bandgap semiconductor devices, with an emphasis on their design, fabrication, performance characteristics, and applications in power electronics, RF/microwave, and optoelectronics. The course focuses on silicon carbide [SiC] and gallium nitride [GaN] devices, while also exploring emerging ultra-wide bandgap materials like gallium oxide [Ga?O?] and diamond.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

To learn basic physical principles behind modern electronic and optoelectronic devices based on semiconductors including the wide bandgap.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

The course aims to provide students with hands-on experience designing, fabricating and electrically testing wide bandgap semiconductor devices. The theory that is taught in class will be supplemented by practical experiences, including hands-on microfabrication in the NNF cleanroom.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Processes and characterization techniques relevant to microelectronic materials science and technology. Boule growth, water preparation, oxidation, epitaxial growth, doping techniques, metallization, and device applications of elemental and compound semiconductors. Electrical, structural and chemical characterization of semiconductors as well as materials considerations relevant to device fabrication. Credit for both MAT 460 and MSE 560 is not allowed

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Processes used in fabrication of modern integrated circuits. Process steps for crystal growth, oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, lithography, chemical vapor deposition, etching, metallization, layout and packaging. Process integration for MOS and biopolar processes. Characterization techniques, simulation, yield and reliability.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This course on semiconductor manufacturing focuses on high-volume production, process optimization, automation, and yield improvement, distinct from semiconductor fabrication courses. It covers the full manufacturing pipeline--from wafer production and process integration to packaging, reliability, and cost optimization. Students will explore design for manufacturability [DFM], statistical process control [SPC], metrology, defect inspection, and smart manufacturing technologies such as AI-driven automation. Hands-on components include cleanroom process control [if available], semiconductor fab simulations, defect analysis, yield optimization exercises, packaging assembly, and failure analysis labs. The course concludes with an industry case study competition and a guest lecture from a semiconductor manufacturing expert, ensuring students gain both theoretical and practical insights into modern semiconductor manufacturing challenges and solutions.

Offered in Summer

Units: 3

This practicum course on Application Engineering using Wide Bandgap [WBG] Semiconductors is a project-based, hands-on experience focused on real-world applications of SiC and GaN devices in power electronics, EVs, RF systems, and renewable energy. The first week covers mini-projects, including SiC/GaN device characterization, DC-DC converters, high-frequency inverters, EV fast chargers, and solar inverters. In the second week, students work in teams on a capstone project, selecting from high-efficiency EV drivetrain inverters, GaN-based 5G RF power amplifiers, or SiC-based bidirectional DC-DC converters. The course culminates in a final project showcase with industry expert feedback. Designed for senior undergraduates, graduate students, or industry professionals, this practicum provides cutting-edge skills in WBG semiconductor applications through hands-on labs, simulations, and prototype testing.

Offered in Summer

Units: 3

Analog integrated circuits and analog integrated circuit design techniques. Review of basic device and technology issues Comprehensive coverage of MOS and Bipolar operational amplifiers. Brief coverage of analog-to-digital conversion techniques and switched-capacitor filters. Strong emphasis on use of computer modeling and simulation as design tool. Students required to complete an independent design project.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This course investigates photonic devices at the component level and examines the generation, propagation and detection of light in the context of optical communication systems. Topics include planar and cylindrical optical waveguides, LEDs, lasers,optical amplifiers, integrated optical and photodetectors, design tradeoffs for optical systems, passive optical networks, and wavelength division multiplexed systems.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

This course explores the theory and operational characteristics of semiconductor optoelectronic devices. It broadly covers the fundamentals of the propagation, modulation, generation, and absorption of light in semiconductors. Topics include the energy transfer between photons and electrons/holes, light emission and absorption, radiative and non-radiative processes, electrical and optical characteristics, semiconductor materials, heterojunctions, and light extraction and trapping. Specific devices that are discussed include laser diodes, light-emitting diodes, electroabsorption modulators, photodetectors, and solar cells.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

This course introduces design of high-performance power electronic circuits where the integrated physical topology must be considered as part of the circuit, and provides an understanding of the multitude of parasitic elements created by circuit layout, materials and fabrication techniques. A core tenant is learning integrated design with muliphysics simulators. This prepares the student for high-density, high-frequency design of converters/inverters/IVRs, pulse-power circuits [e.g. SSCBs and Double-Pulse Test circuits], gate drives and resonant topologies. The student is also introduced to AI/ML design and optimization of electro-physical circuits for low voltage [10kV] conversion applications and the commonalities in supplying power to the chip, for mobility, and to the grid. Students will have hands-on introduction to processes in the packaging lab[s].

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

DC and AC analysis of isolated and non-isolated switch mode power supply. Basic converter topologies covered include: buck, boost and buck/boost and their transformer-couples derivatives. Design of close loop of these DC/DC converters. Power devices and their applications in DC/DC converters. Inductor and transformer design.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

The operational physics and design concepts for power semiconductor devices. Relevant transport properties of semiconductors. Design of breakdown voltage and edge terminations. Analysis of Schottky rectifiers, P-i-N rectifiers, Power MOSFETs, Bipolar Transistors, Thyristors and Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

MOS capacitor and transistor regions of operation. Depletion and enhancement mode MOSFETs. MOSFET scaling, short and narrow channel effects. MOSFETs with ion-implanted channels. High field effects in MOSFETs with emphasis on recent advances in design of hit carrier suppressed structures. Small and large signal MOSFET models. State of the art in MOS process integration.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

Basic physical phenomena responsible for operation of solids-state devices. Examination and utilization of semiconductor transport equations to explain principles of device operation. Various solid-state electronics devices studied in detail.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

This course provides students with an in-depth knowledge of power devices built from wide bandgap semiconductors: the design of high breakdown voltages, the physics of unique power rectifier structures suitable for SiC material, the operating principles for unique SiC power MOSFETs, and GaN HEMT devices, the development of bipolar power devices from SiC to achieve ultra-high voltage performance and the performance of wide bandgap semiconductor power devices as compared to advanced silicon devices.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Analysis, simulation, and design of the key building blocks of an integrated radio: amplifiers, mixers, and oscillators. Topics include detailed noise optimization and linearity performance of high frequency integrated circuits for receivers and transmitters. Introduction to several important topics of radio design such as phase-locked loops, filters and large-signal amplifiers. Use of advanced RF integrated circuit simulation tools such as SpectreRF or ADS for class assignments.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Development and examination of techniques used in the design of microwave and millimeter wave components and systems. Specific topics include frequency planning, system design using modules, and design of microwave amplifiers and oscillators. Design for specified frequency, noise, power, mixer or oscillator performance will be covered. There are three design projects: system planning, amplifier design, and oscillator design all using commercial microwave computer aided design tools.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

This course reviews basic interaction of electrons with solids through the free electron theory, quantum mechanics and quantum phenomena, and band theory. The course provides a practical foundation for understanding of electrical behavior of metals, semiconductors, dielectrics and non-crystalline materials and how this behavior relates to structure and materials processing. Graduate standing in MSE, CBME, ECE, PY, CH, or consent of the instructor required.

Offered in Fall Only

Units: 3

This course will answer basic questions on photon-matter interaction: Why do materials appear the way we see them? How can we change and control that? How can we apply their optical properties in various optical elements and optoelectronic devices? The course provides a practical foundation for working with and developing of materials for modern optoelectronic and photonic technologies. Graduate standing in MSE, CBME, ECE, PY, CH, or consent of the instructor required.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Vacuum science and technology including gas kinetics, gas flow calculations, system design and use of various pumps, materials and components. Atomistics of solid surfaces. Nucleation and growth of films and coatings.

Offered in Spring Only

Units: 3

Techniques for thin films and coatings deposition and their applications. Interfaces, adhesion and surface modification. Artificially structured and chemically modulated layered materials. Pseudomorphic structures. Characterization of thin films andcoatings.

Offered in Spring Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Years

Units: 3

Ion implantation and doping for advanced semiconductor devices, thin films and epitaxy, silicides, ohmic contacts and interconnection metallurgy, oxidation and nitridation, gettering of impurities and dopant segregation phenomena, electromigration, electronic packaging materials science and advanced device concepts.

Offered in Fall Only

YEAR: Offered Alternate Years