Electrical Characterization: Diodes (Coursera)

The course project explores how process monitor blocks are used to maintain manufacturing integrity.

This course is part of the Semiconductor Characterization Specialization.

What you'll learn

- Define resistance, resistivity, and sheet resistance and their associated units.

- Describe how to perform four-point probe current-voltage measurements.

- Explain the use of the transfer length method.

Syllabus

Course Introduction

Course 2 begins with the definitions of resistivity and sheet resistance of semiconductors and metals and emphasizes the importance of working with the correct units for each. We see how to calculate the sheet resistance of a thin conducting film once we know its resistivity. A method to determine the contact resistance using the transfer length method is described, along with the definition of the specific contact resistivity. Current-voltage (IV) measurements of p-n junction diodes are used to extract key device parameters such as the ideality factor and series resistance. The course project explores how process monitor blocks are used to maintain manufacturing integrity.

Week 2.1: Resistivity and Sheet Resistance

This week introduces the concepts of resistivity and sheet resistance.

Week 2.2: Resistance Measurements and Four-point Probes

This week, you will learn about measuring resistance with four-point probes.

Week 2.3: Measuring Contact Resistance

This week, you will learn about measuring contact resistance using transfer length measurements.

Week 2.4: The Current-voltage (IV) Characteristics of Diodes

This week, you will learn about the current-voltage (IV) characteristics of diodes.

Week 2.5: Course Wrap-up and Project

This week, you will complete a case study to assess your ability to determine what happened to a process monitor block to change its resistance.