Week 1: Introduction to Semiconductors and 2D Materials

Hello good people, and welcome to my senior project.

Semiconductors have become the forefront of modern technology, and they require a significant amount of testing and data collection in order for them to reach their maximum efficiency. As such, technology has advanced to allow engineers to simulate the circuit design of semiconductors through a variety of modeling programs, one of which being SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis). SPICE’s utility ranges from the evaluation of smaller components such as resistors, capacitors, and transistors to entire circuit simulations and operations. In this project, I hope to build a transistor model based on real experimental data from 2D transistors and observe their predicted behavior by extracting drain-to-source characteristics such as voltage and resistance.

When doing this senior project, I want to gain both a broad and introspective understanding of 2D materials by answering several questions. For example, how are semiconductors integrated into the fabrication of transistors, and what 2D materials specifically have been used to form these modern transistors? Of course, SPICE is another integral part of my senior project, and I hope to learn how the SPICE simulation in order to predict the behavior and source-drain characteristics of circuits and transistors?

For the first few weeks, I want to do some base level learning about transistors using literary sources and internet texts, exploring their history, manufacturing processes, and different structures/components before diving into the methodologies and experimentation of my project. To me, this is a prime learning opportunity for me and I need to take the time to become properly acquainted with the material I’m tackling.