P. Douglas Yoder, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Contact
Office: PARB A230
Phone: 912-966-7940
Email: doug.yoder@gtsav.gatech.edu
Research Thrusts
Microelectronics
Microsystems
Links
Education
Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1993
M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1991
B.S.E.E., Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 1989
Research Interests
  • High-speed quasi-unipolar photodetection
  • Geiger-Mode ultraviolet photodetection
  • Tunnel-MOS electroluminescence
  • Wide bandgap field effect transistors
  • RF testing, modeling and simulation
  • Monte-Carlo charge transport simulation
  • Semiconductor device physics
  • Opto/microelectronic semiconductor device design

Dr. Yoder's group is actively engaged in three areas of research: semiconductor photonic devices for critical communication and sensing applications, wide-bandgap devices for high-voltage switching and RF power amplification, and stochastic approaches to modeling quantum charge transport. Dr. Yoder and co-workers have recently proposed and demonstrated the concept of quasi-unipolar photodetection, a design strategy exploiting nonlinear self-biasing and velocity overshoot to achieve maximum modulation bandwidth, increased optical saturation power, and reduced power dissipation - all without penalty to quantum efficiency. Together with graduate students, Dr. Yoder is using full-band ensemble Monte Carlo simulation to design Geiger-mode ultraviolet avalanche photodetectors with the precision to count individual photons for applications such as non-line-of-sight communciations or the detection of airborne pathogens. Electroluminescence spectra from thin tunnel-MOS structures may be used both as a real-time optical diagnostic of transistor operation, as well as an indicator of oxide damage in silicon field effect devices; Dr. Yoder's group performs theoretical investigations on the broad-spectrum electroluminescence properties of tunnel-MOS and other structures and devices, considering both direct and phonon-assisted radiative recombination, as well as sub-picosecond non-radiative electron relaxation dynamics. The superior breakdown and thermal properties of gallium nitride (GaN) and related alloys make these material systems ideal for applications requiring high-voltage and high current density. In Dr. Yoder's group, the physics of wide-bandgap device operation is investigated by means of first-principles microscopic models for charge motion and scattering; far-from-equilibrium particle transport and lattice dynamics are treated self-consistently through use of a full-bandstructure ensemble electrothermal Monte Carlo device simulation tool under development. Dr. Yoder is a member of SPIE and a senior member of the IEEE.