Abstract:
Semiconductors have become the choice material for electronic devices because their electronic properties can be controlled by the introduction of appropriate impurities. For example, pn junctions are formed by doping a semiconductor with donors and acceptors to form n-type and p-type regions. These impurities are said to be shallow since their electrons are weakly bound to them. There are also many defects where the electrons are strongly bound and these are said to be deep. Often deep centers also hurt the performance of semiconductor devices so they are usually considered undesirable. However, there are also examples of deep centers which are important for device operation. Recent advances in understanding the properties of defects in semiconductors will be reviewed. How such knowledge has helped to improve device performance will be discussed.
Coffee and tea will be served 20 minutes prior to the seminar.