Learn Semiconductor Devices Online | NPTEL Course by IISc Professor
Course Details
| Exam Registration | 1324 |
|---|---|
| Course Status | Ongoing |
| Course Type | Core |
| Language | English |
| Duration | 12 weeks |
| Categories | Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering, VLSI design, Electronic Materials |
| Credit Points | 3 |
| Level | Undergraduate |
| Start Date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| End Date | 10 Apr 2026 |
| Enrollment Ends | 02 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Registration Ends | 20 Feb 2026 |
| Exam Date | 18 Apr 2026 IST |
| NCrF Level | 4.5 — 8.0 |
Master the Building Blocks of Modern Electronics: A Guide to the NPTEL Course on Semiconductor Devices
In our digital world, from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles and solar panels, semiconductor devices form the invisible backbone. Understanding these tiny components is crucial for anyone in electrical, electronics, or VLSI design. If you've ever wanted to learn from the best, the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) offers a stellar opportunity: Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices, taught by a leading expert from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore.
Your Instructor: Learn from an IISc Expert
This course is led by Prof. Digbijoy N. Nath, an accomplished researcher and educator at the forefront of semiconductor technology.
- Credentials: Prof. Nath holds a B.E. (Hons) from BITS Pilani and a PhD from The Ohio State University, specializing in gallium nitride devices.
- Current Role: He is an Associate Professor at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc Bangalore.
- Research Focus: His work revolves around wide bandgap semiconductors for high-power electronics, RF applications, and deep-UV optoelectronics, with over 90 publications.
- Teaching Experience: With years of experience teaching postgraduate courses at IISc, he brings academic rigor and practical insight to this online offering. His NPTEL course has been successfully running since 2019.
Course Overview: What Will You Learn?
This 12-week undergraduate-level course is meticulously designed to build your knowledge from the ground up. It starts with core physics concepts and progresses to understanding complex devices and their real-world applications.
Intended Audience: Undergraduate students (B.E./B.Tech in ECE/EE), M.Sc. Physics students, college teachers, and industry professionals looking to solidify their fundamentals.
Prerequisites: A basic understanding of high school physics and mathematics is sufficient, making the course accessible to dedicated learners.
Detailed 12-Week Course Layout
Weeks 1-3: Semiconductor Physics Foundation
The journey begins with the essential physics governing semiconductors. You'll learn about energy bands, electron and hole concepts, doping, Fermi levels, and carrier transport mechanisms like drift and diffusion. This foundation is critical for understanding how devices function.
Weeks 4-7: Core Semiconductor Devices
This section delves into the workhorses of electronics.
- Week 4-5: Explore the p-n junction—the heart of diodes—covering its behavior under bias, current equations, and breakdown mechanisms. Learn about Schottky and Ohmic contacts.
- Week 6-7: Dive into the MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor), starting from the MOS capacitor to the full transistor operation. Understand I-V characteristics, scaling, and the famous Moore's Law.
Weeks 8-10: Advanced Devices and Technologies
Building on the basics, the course explores advanced materials and devices.
- Week 8: Introduction to compound semiconductors (like GaAs, GaN), heterostructures, and high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs).
- Week 9: Study the Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), its working principle, parameters, and its advanced variant, the Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor (HBT).
- Week 10: A survey of specialized transistors for RF, power switching, memory, and future technologies.
Weeks 11-12: Optoelectronic Devices
The course concludes with devices that convert between light and electricity.
- Week 11: Fundamentals of solar cells and photodetectors, covering efficiency metrics and operation from IR to UV.
- Week 12: Principles of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), including efficiencies and the revolutionary story of the blue LED that earned a Nobel Prize.
Why Enroll in This Course?
- From Basics to Applications: The course perfectly balances theoretical depth with practical, real-world examples and commercial technology references.
- Structured Learning: The weekly progression ensures a logical and comprehensive understanding.
- Industry Relevance: With content calibrated to practical technologies, it provides strong support for careers in the booming semiconductor industry.
- Free & Accessible: As an NPTEL offering, this high-quality course from an IISc professor is freely accessible to learners worldwide.
Recommended Textbooks
To complement the video lectures, Prof. Nath recommends two excellent textbooks:
| Book Title | Author(s) | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Solid State Electronic Devices | Ben Streetman & Sanjay Banerjee | Prentice Hall |
| Introduction to Semiconductor Materials and Devices | M. S. Tyagi | Wiley Publications |
Whether you are an engineering student aiming to ace your exams, a teacher seeking quality content, or an enthusiast curious about the chips that power our world, Fundamentals of Semiconductor Devices is an invaluable resource. Head to the NPTEL website to enroll and start your journey into the fascinating world of semiconductors today.
Enroll Now →