Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Recitations: 2 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Handouts

List of topics covered (PDF)

Diagnostic exercises (PDF)

Solutions to diagnostic exercises (PDF)

Readings

Required Textbook

Fonstad, Clifton. Microelectronic Devices and Circuits. 2006 Electronic Edition. Available online at DSpace@MIT.

You may also wish to refer to the following:

Howe, Roger, and Charles Sodini. Microelectronics: An Integrated Approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1996. ISBN: 9780135885185.

Modular Series on Solid State Devices

Pierret, Robert. Volume I: Semiconductor Fundamentals. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1988. ISBN: 9780201122954.

Neudeck, George. Volume II: The PN Junction Diode. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. ISBN: 9780201122961.

———. Volume III: The Bipolar Junction Transistor. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1989. ISBN: 9780201122978.

Pierret, Robert. Volume IV: Field Effect Devices. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. ISBN: 9780201122985.

Problem Sets

Most problem sets will be handed out in recitation on Wednesdays, and will be due the following Wednesday. Solutions submitted late will be noted as having been submitted, but there is no guarantee that they will be graded. This will depend on the availability and agreeably of the graders.

We welcome collaboration, but we also want to know who you have worked with on the problem set, and we expect you to prepare the final solution individually and to hand in your own work. What you put down on paper must honestly reflect your effort and ability. If you have worked closely with other students to figure out solutions to a problem set, please so state at the end of the solution you submit; this will help us confirm that problem sets were not copied and protect you from being wrongly accused.

Tutorials

The Teaching Assistants will conduct one-hour tutorial sessions each week for small groups of students. Written problem set solutions will be distributed at the tutorial session immediately following the due date.

Exams

There will be two evening exams. These exams will be closed book, and you will be able to bring a 2-page, hand written crib sheet (to be handed in with your exam). You should also bring a calculator. There are no formal recitations on exam days, but your recitation instructors will be available in their offices to answer questions during your normal recitation hours. There will be a three-hour closed book final exam.

Design Problem

A special take-home exam problem on circuit design will be distributed after Ses #19; this assignment will be due a bit more than two weeks later. Late design problems will not receive full credit. Students must submit a satisfactory design problem solution to receive a grade in 6.012.

Grading

The following algorithm will be used to establish a score for you in 6.012: (1) two hour exams, 20% each; (2) final exam, 33%; (3) design problem, 15%; (4) problem sets, 12% total.

This score will serve as a starting point for an assessment by the staff of your overall mastery of the subject matter. Your letter grade will also reflect your performance in recitations and tutorials, and will be the outcome of the total evaluation process.