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Semiconductor Conductivity Explained

1. There are two types of semiconductors - intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic semiconductors are pure and have few charge carriers, while extrinsic semiconductors are doped with impurities which add excess electrons or holes. 2. In a semiconductor, the valence band contains bound electrons while the conduction band contains free electrons. Electrons can be excited from the valence to conduction band, leaving behind holes. 3. The electrical conductivity of a semiconductor depends on temperature. As temperature increases, more electrons gain enough energy to excite into the conduction band, leaving more holes and increasing conductivity.

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9 views2 pages

Semiconductor Conductivity Explained

1. There are two types of semiconductors - intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic semiconductors are pure and have few charge carriers, while extrinsic semiconductors are doped with impurities which add excess electrons or holes. 2. In a semiconductor, the valence band contains bound electrons while the conduction band contains free electrons. Electrons can be excited from the valence to conduction band, leaving behind holes. 3. The electrical conductivity of a semiconductor depends on temperature. As temperature increases, more electrons gain enough energy to excite into the conduction band, leaving more holes and increasing conductivity.

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Rahul danampally
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1) A semiconductor material has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a

conductor and an insulator. I


NTRINSIC SEMICONDUCTORS:
1. It ispure semi-conducting material and no impurity atoms are added to it.
[Link]: crystalline forms of pure silicon and germanium.
3. The number of free electrons in the conduction band and the no. of holes in valence band
is exactly equal and very small indeed.
[Link] electrical conductivity is low.
[Link] electrical conductivity is a function of temperature alone.
EXTRINSIC SEMICONDUCTORS:
1. It is prepared by doping a small quantity of impurity atoms to the pure semi-conducting
material.
[Link]: silicon “Si” and germanium “Ge” crystals with impurity atoms of As, Sb, P
etc. or In B, Aℓ etc.
[Link] number of free electrons and holes is never equal. There is excess of electrons in n-t
ype semi-conductors and excess of holes in p-type semi-conductors.
[Link] electrical conductivity is high.
[Link] electrical conductivity depends upon the temperature as well as on the quantity of
impurity atoms doped the structure.

2) The valence band is the band of electron orbitals that electrons can jump out of, moving
into the conduction band when excited.
The conduction band is the band of electron orbitals that electrons can jump up into from
the valence band when excited.

3) Yes they can.


If there are a few electrons that have been thrown into the conduction band, they leave
behind some holes. The remaining electrons in the valence band can make use of these holes
to move and contribute to conduction. Since they all move collaboratively (each electron can
only make one jump, and then leaves behind a new hole) this is normally described instead
as a current of "electron holes".
4)
5) energy gap. noun. physics the difference of energy between the bottom of the conduction
band and the top of the valence band of the electrons in a crystalline solid.
It should work fine, as long as the change in conductivity is because of the gas and not
because of the temperature. ... The electrons in them acquire energy and jump to the
conduction band. The semiconductor becomes more and more conductive.
6) Graphene. No infinite energy gap not possible
7) The electrical conductivity of a semiconductor increases with increase in temperature
because with increase in temperature the electrons overcome the energy barrier between
the valence band and the conduction band easily.
At or close to absolute zero a semiconductor behaves like an insulator. When an electron
gains enough energy to participate in conduction (is "free"), it is at a high energy state.
When the electron is bound, and thus cannot participate in conduction, the electron is at a
low energy state.
8) Temp α resistance
conductance α 1/resistance
9) A material with fully occupied or empty energy bands is then an insulator.
A semiconductor is primarily an insulator at 0K. However, since the energy gap is lower
compared to insulators (~1eV), the valence band is slightly thermally populated at room
temperature, whereas the conduction band is slightly depopulated. Since electrical
conduction is directly connected to the number of electrons in the “almost empty”
conduction band and to the number of holes in the “almost fully occupied” valence band, it
can be expected that the electrical conductivity of such an intrinsic semiconductor will be
very small.
For a conductor, conduction bands and valence bands are not separated and there is
therefore no energy gap. The conduction band is then partially occupied (even at low
temperatures), resulting in a “high” electrical conductivity.

10) an electron hole (often simply called a hole) is the lack of an electron at a position where
one could exist in an atom or atomic lattice........

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