Computer software tools to assist the teaching of semiconductor device physics

Software developed at Villanova University that focuses on semiconductor material properties and concepts is described. Four computer programs are described that were developed to perform the following operations: (i) simulate crystal structures on a graphics terminal, (ii) display the position of the thermal equilibrium Fermi level as a function of temperature and doping density in a nondegenerate semiconductor, (iii) simulate the Hall effect experiment, and (iv) simulate the diffusion profile of a minority carrier pulse as it drifts downwards on a semiconductor bar (as in the Haynes-Shockley experiment). The programs have various hardware requirements. The two programs that simulate the Hall effect experiment and the Haynes-Shockley experiment were written in BASIC and are implemented on the IBM PC/AT. Both of the programs are small and could be used on any small personal computer. The Fermi level program was written in FORTRAN and implemented on a VAX 11/780. The crystal structure simulation is performed by a sophisticated graphics package developed at Brigham-Young University