Customer Reviews

Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology, 2nd Edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a welcome 2nd edition of Sze's basic introduction to the technology underlying modern conventional semiconductor devices. The first edition of 1985 served the needs of its time admirably, but the 17 years since have seen much progress in the field, especially in the area of fabrication technology.

It should be stressed that this text is an introductory text, covering the basics well, but not taking the material much beyond the intermediate level. It is also very much an engineering text rather than a physics text, for the focus is squarely placed on the technology and not the underlying solid-state physics. As such, it is suited to undergraduate electrical/electronic engineers wishing to gain some appreciation of the physics underpinning conventional semiconductor devices, and the way they are fabricated, or for physicists wishing to gain some perspective on the fabrication and operation of the same, but it is in no way a comprehensive textbook on semiconductor physics.

Nevertheless, the material that is presented is well chosen, and well explained. The English prose style is somewhat pedestrian, but this is no great flaw in an engineering textbook. All the essentials of semiconductor materials (almost exclusively Si and GaAs) are described, the p-n junction, as well as the major device types (BJTs, (MOS/MES)FETs, microwave diodes, LEDs, lasers, etc.) and the modern technologies employed for their fabrication. In some senses, the section on fabrication technologies, taking up fully a third of the book, is perhaps its best section, for fabrication is rarely given such emphasis (although, again, not detailed, but covering most salient points) in an introductory book.

The pedagogical method employed by Sze is sound, and relevant worked examples are provided. The only short-coming is perhaps the relative brevity of the end-of-chapter problems, for which no answers are provided, but, in such a textbook, I feel that it is not really necessary to work through them to gain a solid grasp of the material presented.

Physically, the book is much more attractive than the previous edition. The cover is more appealling, and the text is well set in a two-colour print. The diagrams are nothing special, but they are generally clear and explain their point well, and are certainly much improved from the first edition, especially those in the fabrication section.

Just a final comment on other reviews: it is difficult to see how this book may be regarded as a bible of any sort, for the material is covered in quite a superficial manner. I wonder if they are not mistaking it for the 'big Sze', viz., Sze's 'Physics of Semiconductor Devices', which is another, much larger and more comprehensive, work of Sze's.

Explains the basic concepts in device physics well. Covers generic process steps used to make most semiconductors. Probably a bit outdated, though physics hasn't changed much since 1985. This book is referred to as "eazy Sze" around my office, which is a refrence to "hard Sze"--The physics of semiconductor devices, 1981. "Hard Sze" is the ultimate refrence for device physics.

I started using this book for my undergraduate course in semiconductor technology, and I believe I would have failed the exam if I relied solely on it.

Let me explain: the exposition is really exciting and consistent, but if you were interested in the physics side of the phenomena in semiconductors and semiconductor devices, you'd be left wanting for more. "Just when it was getting interesting", you are left with a few paragraphs that just aren't there. If you are the least scientifically curious, this will most likely frustrate you (it is also a credit to Sze as a scientific author, as he made you actually want to know more, through his systematic exposition). I found that even the very old cornerstone book "Electrons and Holes in Semiconductors" by Shockley, gives more satisfaction to the reader, as Shockley has a much broader, freer and thorough approach at discussing the physics of semiconductors.

From the technological point of view, the book in question doesn't seem very useful. It works on some fundamentals but, again, it will only get your lips wet but thirsty. Still, I think Sze tried to cover the bases in a field that is in explosive development such as semiconductor technology.

From both points of view - physics and technology - the book feels a lot like a teaser for Sze's masterpiece, "Physics of Semiconductor Devices" (2nd edition), which is a book I would wholeheartedly recommend without reservations. And herein lies the reason why I gave this ("Semiconductor Devices") book only three stars: if I give 5 stars to "Physics of Semiconductor Devices" by the same author, then the object of this review deserves 3. Seeing as though the price of both books is almost the same, this should at least make you think for a moment.

The bible of semiconductor intended for under-/graduate students or as reference for advance scientist is the market of the author. The book consists of basic band gap explanation and carrier transport phenomena going through almost all exploited devices applied nowadays. Beside that, the technology starting form epitaxial growth until the etching mechanism is enclosed here. Moreover, the need of equation derivation is also appended herein since the author tries to explain them in deep.

Some devices,e.g BARITT, TRAPATT are not explained here. The photonic device are coped in a concise clear way including the solar cell.
The presentation and pictures attached here is well depicted and really helps the reader to the understanding of the material completely. Furthermore, this book is also well-suited for crash course for some experienced readers.

This book contains everything an undergraduate should know about semiconductor devices. The writing style is incredibly lucid. The author has done a tremendous job in communicating the operation of many important semiconductor devices to a novice reader. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

This book, in spite of its age (2001 era) remains a great introductory overview of the principles and practise of semiconductor device engineering. The clarity and thoroughness of each basic topic are un-surpassed in competitor books.

As a undergrad electrical engineering student I found this book a horrible choice for an introductory level semiconductor class. As another reviewer mentioned, the example problems (the most important part of any textbook) are few and far between. Most of the book is filled with equations and derivations that are overwhelming and confusing. Clearly the author is well versed in the physics of semiconductor devices; however, the presentation of the information leaves any student reader overwhelmed. Maybe this book makes a handy reference, but only after you have been exposed to the material. As for me, I'll be replacing S.M. Sze's "Semiconductor Devices Physics and Technology" 2nd Ed with something that makes more sense for a student.

This is a good book providing the most important references in the field of semiconductors devices and technology. As a text book it is hard to follow and gives little scientific background regarding the physics of processes in semiconductors and structures design criteria. However, it provides a wonderful summary of the most important facts related to the devices and their derivatives, including valuable data on the common materials in use.

This is a very famous book for describing the semiconductor physics, although this is not new. Some people maybe think that is hard to follow, but it does provide a lot of information and document for readers. Thus, it can be a very good reference book because it introduces many important papers in semiconductor developments. So you will know why and how semiconductor devices become what we see today!

This book is hard to follow, it jumps around from place to place, there are VERY few example problems and the problems at the end of each chapter don't seem to reflect the material presented. In addition there are no answers provided for the problems.