ELECTRONICS & PHOTONICS DEVICES - 2025/6

Module Overview

Expected prior learning: Learning equivalent to Year 1 and Year 2, Semester 1, of EE Programmes.

Module purpose: Using lectures, problems classes, worked examples and tutorial sheets this module will provide the fundamentals needed to understand the operation of key electronic and photonic devices as determined by their fundamental semiconducting properties. The module builds upon prior study of electrical science (EEE1034) delivered in Year 1 of the undergraduate programme (or equivalent elsewhere). This module facilitates future advanced master level leaning in advanced and modern electronic materials and devices. The module will also provide a brief introduction to more advanced topics covered in the Year 3 modules (EEE3041).

Module provider

Computer Science and Electronic Eng

Module Leader

ZHANG Wei (CS & EE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Part A Semiconductors and device applications

Formation of energy bands, E-k diagrams, direct and indirect band gaps, effective mass.

Charge carriers in semiconductors, density of states, carrier distributions.

Intrinsic/extrinsic semiconductors, doping, carrier density.

Transport of carriers: drift and diffusion, mobility and basic scattering processes. Generation, recombination of charges. Radiative recombination and light emission. Non radiative recombination.

Detailed operation of a p-n junction, diode equation and applications of p-n junctions in devices.

Electrodes and contacts in semiconducting devices.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs).

Photovoltaic (PV) devices and solar energy conversion: Detailed operation, current- voltage characteristics. Strategies to improve power conversion efficiencies. Emerging Photovoltaic technologies

Display devices: Liquid crystal, Organic light emitting diode, E-paper.

 

Part B     Light and Photonic Devices

Blackbody radiation and Planck’s law, luminescence, absorption, spontaneous and stimulated emission, population inversion

Fabry-Pérot resonator, Gain and amplifiers

3- and 4-level lasers, slope efficiency, pump and output power

 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy for this module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate the learning outcomes. The examination will assess the knowledge and assimilation of terminology, concepts and theory of two parts of the module: electronic and photonic

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of the following.

•          Coursework 


•          Online (Open Book) Exam within 4 hrs Window 

Module aims

• To provide students with a basic understanding of discrete electronic and photonic devices. Students will be introduced to the underlying physics of semiconductors and the wave nature of light. The structure and operating principles of key electronic and photonic devices will be described. Students will be introduced to the most recent developments in photonic and optoelectronic devices, and develop skills in solving the real-world problems associated with energy harvesting and utilisation. The module also aims to provide opportunities for students to learn about the Surrey Pillars listed below.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to achieve the module aims by exposing students to key areas of modern semiconducting devices, including semiconducting materials, underlying physics phenomena and operation of devices. Students will be shown real examples of semiconductors and a range of electronic and photonic devices to demonstrate the   connection between the course material and real-life applications. Students will be motivated to learn about new developments in the field including photovoltaics, light emitting diodes and large area electronics.

Learning and teaching methods include the following: Lectures 

Tutorials 

In class discussions (as part of lectures). Captured content

Private study of specified material (textbooks, online resources, research articles)

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: EEE2042

Other information

This module covers various topics associated with renewable energy and semiconductor devices from photovoltaics, LEDs to large area displays, etc., which help students to understand in-depth the origins of global energy crisis and find feasible   solutions to solve these challenges by providing green energy and reducing CO₂ emission from a technical point of view.

Many new inventions introduced in this module are indeed developed through international collaborations from the researchers in different countries with diverse backgrounds. The future engineers will learn the lessons from the examples and work together in the future. One fascinating feature of this module as compared to many others is that the contents of this module are closely related to the job market. For example, the commercial products (PVs, LEDs, lasers, displays) are already available and will continue to evolve. This module will help our students to improve the employability in the future energy related industries by exposing them to the state-of-the-art renewable energy technologies and products. Some open topics and challenging questions will be addressed by seminars and group discussion, literature search, debate and presentation, etc. Students will develop the capacity to use a wide range of digital platforms and resources, manage information, analyze databases, and propose new ideas through communicating with one another and to work collaboratively using SurreyLearn.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.