Electronics for Scientists

Electronics for Scientists provides a practical and concise introduction to electrical circuits, signals, and instrumentation for undergraduate students in the physical sciences. No previous familiarity with electronics is required and concepts are grounded in the relevant physics. The book aims to give students the electronics background needed to be successful in experimental science. The book begins with the fundamentals of DC circuits. This is followed by AC circuits and their analysis using the concept of impedance. The transfer function is introduced and used to analyze different types of filter circuits. The conversion between time-domain and frequency-domain signal representations is reviewed. Transmission lines are introduced and used to motivate the different approach to designing microwave-frequency circuits as compared to lower-frequency circuits. The physics of semiconductors is reviewed and used to understand the behavior of diodes and transistors, and a number of diode and transistor circuits is analyzed. The operational amplifier (op-amp) is introduced and several op-amp circuits are analyzed. Techniques for quantifying noise in electrical measurements are described and common sources of noise are discussed. The last major topic is digital circuits, which include analog-to-digital conversion, logic gates, and digital memory circuits. The book concludes with a brief introduction to quantum computing. Designed for a one-semester course, this book brings together a range of topics relevant to experimental science that are not commonly found in a single text. Worked examples are provided throughout the book, and each chapter concludes with a set of problems to reinforce the material covered. The subject of electronics is indispensable to a wide array of scientific and technical fields, and this book seeks to provide an approachable point of access to this rich and important subject.

Chapter 1 Linear DC Circuits Ohm’s Law Introduction to Circuit Diagrams Power in DC Circuits Kirchhoff’s Rules Sources and Meters Thevenin and Norton Equivalent Circuits Problems Chapter 2 Linear AC Circuits Capacitance and Inductance Transient Analysis RC Circuit RL Circuit LC Circuit Impedance Power in AC Circuits Resonant Circuits Series RLC Circuit Parallel RLC Circuit The Oscilloscope Problems Chapter 3 Four-Terminal Circuits and the Transfer Function The Transfer Function Simple Filter Circuits Fourier Analysis Fourier Series Fourier Transform Transformers Problems Chapter 4 Transmission Lines Lumped-Element Model Terminated Transmission Lines Special Topic: Scattering Parameters Special Topic: The Half-Wave Dipole Antenna Problems Chapter 5 Semiconductor Devices Physics of Semiconductors PN Junction Diode Circuits Frequency Mixing Special Topic: The Lock-In Amplifier Transistors NPN Bipolar Junction Transistor Transistor Circuits Special Topic: Integrated Circuits Problems Chapter 6 Operational Amplifiers Ideal Op-Amps with Stable Feedback Nonidealities in Real Op-Amps Op-Amps without Stable Feedback Problems Chapter 7 Noise Quantifying Noise Johnson-Nyquist Noise Shot Noise Amplifiers Other Noise Sources Special Topic: Digital Filtering Problems Chapter 8 Digital Circuits Binary Analog-to-Digital Conversion Logic Gates Digital Memory Circuits Clocked Digital Circuits Building Blocks of a Computer Special Topic: Introduction to Quantum Computing Classical Versus Quantum Bits How to Build a Qubit Quantum Gates Problems Appendix A Some Useful Constants, Conversions, Identities, Metric Prefixes, and Units Appendix B Review of Complex Numbers

Daniel F. Santavicca is a Professor of Physics at the University of North Florida, where he also serves as the founding Director of the interdisciplinary graduate program in Materials Science and Engineering. He received a PhD in Applied Physics from Yale University and runs an active research program in nanoscale electronics with a focus on superconducting thin film devices.