SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES AND OPTOELECTRONICS - 2027/8

Module Overview

Expected prior learning:  Module EEE2042 – Electronic and Photonic Devices, or equivalent learning, is advisory but not required.

Module purpose:  Semiconductor devices and optoelectronics play a major technology enabling amongst other things the internet. The course is given via a series of lectures and aims to give a background to the interaction of light with key photonic materials and devices. This module will introduce students to modern energy efficient electronic and photonic devices concentrating on the fundamental science of operation, device structure and characteristics.

Module provider

Computer Science and Electronic Eng

Module Leader

CAREY David (CS & EE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

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

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

• Part A Semiconductor Devices
• Semiconductor materials and physics, dopant solubility, defects, doping and diffusion, Fick's Laws of diffusion, 
• Electrical measurements including sheet resistance and Hall effect
• Semiconductor devices and MOSFETs, band diagrams, short channel effects, transistor scaling in modern energy efficient devices
• Silicon oxidation, dry and wet oxidation.
• Case Study: Deal-Grove description of silicon oxidation and calculating oxidation times
• Materials processing, photolithography and modern device fabrication and ion implantation
• Epitaxial growth of modern semiconductors materials and devices, MBE, MOCVD, ALD. Strain engineering
• Electron mobility and scattering, Matthiessen's law and High Electron Mobility transistors (HEMTs)

• Part B: Optoelectronics
• Wave theory of light, polarization, Reflection and absorption, Complex refractive index, and Beer¿s Law
• Revision of Fabry-Pérot resonators, Fabry-Pérot mode profiles, Airy distributions, linewidths, longitudinal modes, 
• Semiconductor detectors and signal-to-noise,
• Band-filling and semiconductor lasers
• Interference and diffraction, waveguiding, Gaussian beams, curved mirror resonator types, stability ranges and beam-spot sizes
• Integrated Optics: waveguide resonators, fibre Bragg gratings and fiber lasers,
• Applications in communications, optical sensors

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy for this module is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of the module's learning outcomes. 

The one hour class test (20%) will test the numerical problem handling skills from students for problems commonly found in semiconductor and optoelectronics science. Students will apply their knowledge of mathematics, natural science and engineering principles to finding the solutions to problems of varied complexity. The class test will be a mixture of MCQs to test understanding and numerical-based problems.  

The two hour examination (80%) will test students understanding of the structure and operation of semiconductor devices. The examination will also assess the students understanding of some of the common characterisation methods used. 

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

1. A 1 hour in-person open book class test (20%, in about Week 7 of semester 1) carried out in a computer laboratory. Assesses module learning outcome no. 1 and 2.

2. A 2 hour In-person open book examination (80% during the semester 1 examination session). Assesses module learning outcomes nos. 3-5.

For confirmation of exact date and time, please check the programme assessment calendar issued to you.

Formative assessment and feedback

For the module, students will receive formative assessment/feedback in the following ways.

1. During timetabled in-person lectures via question and answer sessions.

2. During timetabled problem classes; complete solutions to the problems are made available to all students on SurreyLearn.

3. Past examination papers and solutions 

Module aims

• This module builds upon EEE2042 Electronic and Photonic Devices and EEE2045 Electrical Science II which introduces students to the underlying science of modern electronic and photonic devices (EEE2042) and CMOS based devices and architecture (EEE2045). There are two main aims associated with this module. The first part of the module (Part A) is to understand the challenges faced by industry in developing and providing the next generation of energy efficient and sustainable electronic devices ('More than Moore') which power consumer electronics. The second part of the module (Part B) is to demonstrate how optoelectronics can be used in everyday use, such as the internet and communications.
• The course is given via a series of lectures and aims to give a background to the interaction of light with key photonic materials and devices. The module can lead on to an advanced module on electrical transport in low dimensional systems (EEEM022, Nanoelectronics and Devices).

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to enable students to achieve a working knowledge of state-of-the-art optoelectronic devices and of optical systems for application in industry or research.

Learning and teaching methods include the following.

• Lectures where key concepts will be introduced and students will learn about how fundamental concepts and be the cornerstone of the next generation of energy efficient devices


• Case Study of selected growth of important semiconductor materials


• Problem classes with full sample solutions to allow the students to pace their learning at the pace they are comfortable with.


• Revision sessions of past examination papers; students will be encouraged to attempt the examination papers in advance and to compare their answers with the model solution

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: EEE3041

Other information

Sustainability: Energy efficiency is at the heart of electronic and optoelectronic devices. In this module students be exposed to the competing user demands of increasing device performance at lower power. This theme runs throughout this module and is aligned to UN SDG no. 7 ("Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all").

The module provides ample opportunity for students to demonstrate their mastery of advanced calculations, which will aid the student’s employability. The students’ resourcefulness and resilience will be enhanced as they will need to think critically and exercise engineering judgment of some of the underlying assumptions they would need to employ in these calculations.

The student’s digital capabilities will be enhanced via the student’s use of software to solve some of the calculations encountered.

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 2027/8 academic year.