The Physics of Semiconductors with Applications to Optoelectronics Devices

Abstract

The substantive part of the book is devoted to elementary quantum mechanics (Chapters 1-3) and some elements of statistical mechanics (Chapters 5-6), starting with basic concepts in quantum mechanics, which, as mentioned earlier, could really be skipped in any book on the physics of semiconductors. There are many books in which these problems are described, albeit not always so well-chosen and clearly presented as in this one. I should point out the usefulness for solid state physics of Chapter 4, describing approximation methods in quantum mechanics, and Chapter 6 introducing the very important and exciting topic of superconductivity. Chapters 7-10 provide mainly an introduction to solid state physics dealing with crystalline lattices and symmetries, electron behaviour and motion in a periodical potential, lattice vibrations and phonons, scattering mechanisms and generation-recombination processes. Only in these chapters does the reader find elements of semiconductor physics, like important methods of band structure calculations in semiconductors (Chapter 8), and various generation-recombination mechanisms in semiconductors relevant to optoelectronic applications (Chapter 10). It must be stressed only this part of the content is the type of material one might expect to find in a what is supposed to be a semiconductor physics textbook, and that is what prompts us to question the balance of the book. Finally, the last four Chapters (11-14) are adequate to the optoelectronic subtitle of the book, being related to the physics of semiconductor devices with an emphasis on optoelectronic applications (though Chapter 14 is devoted to field-effect transistors and typical microelectronic devices). They cover different types of junctions and field-effect structures with application to photonic detectors and light emitters. Semiconductor lasers are among the most important of such topics and it is unfortunate that the author has not paid more attention to them, such as describing their interesting evolution from the simple homojunction lasers to the multiple-quantum-well laser or quantum-cavity laser, and has not indicated contemporary trends in the further evolution to the quantum-dot-array laser. It also seems necessary nowadays to consider recent developments in semiconductor materials and structures leading to blue and ultraviolet optoelectronics. A valuable feature of the book is the inclusion in every chapter of many interesting examples, problems and homework exercises, though some of them seem to be too difficult. If, as the author claims in his Preface, this book were to present a wide review of quantum mechanics for the purpose of understanding modern semiconductor devices fabricated using the newest advanced technologies, then it should consistently contain more specific elements of quantum mechanics as well as a more extended description of recently developed quantum semiconductor devices. Despite the critical remarks above, one must concede that this book may well be a valuable and useful textbook on the physics of semiconductors and semiconductor devices, for not only physics students but more so for engineering students and engineers working in optoelectronics. It is written professionaly in a very competent and clear way. All problems are discussed correctly and presented in an interesting and comprehensive manner with reasonable use of mathematics for quantitative description. I hope that this book will be recognized as a good contribution to the literature of modern semiconductor physics books.