Overcoming defects

Extended defects in semiconductors 

D B Holt and B G Yacobi 

Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press | 2007 | 644pp | ?85.00 (HB) | ISBN 9780521819343 

Reviewed by Chris Ewels

As the authors observe, ’Most books on semiconductors that mention defects at all refer primarily or exclusively to point defects’. This new book is therefore a welcome addition, covering as it does extended defects in semiconductors from the basics to the current state-of-the-art. 

The book is extremely readable with a clear, concise style. The presentation is classic, eschewing ’break-out boxes’ and other more modern layout innovations in favour of a traditional straight text. The diagrams are equally no nonsense: simple clear line drawings, which as a result effectively convey what are sometimes complex concepts. Lots to crib from here for lecture presentations! 

Both the breadth and depth of the authors’ knowledge are reflected in the text, though the result is sometimes a compromise between the two. The first half is a broad overview of basic materials science and elementary dislocation theory, along with an introduction to the experimental techniques used to study extended defects. Coverage is necessarily cursory, but all is well referenced should the reader require more. The second half is then a significantly more detailed review of the extended defect literature, discussing specifics for different materials and treatments, and the effect of extended defects on semiconductor device performance. The book features an interesting final chapter on non-uniform point defect distributions: a less regularly discussed form of extended defect.  

In their quest to create a single book covering such a large subject area the authors have been surprisingly successful, and the result is an interesting, readable book that serves both as an excellent introduction for postgraduates and a useful reference for those in the field. The ?85 price tag may be an obstacle to personal ownership, but it will no doubt become a regularly consulted reference work in every materials science library.