Energy Band Diagrams of Semiconductors
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RubyatEnergy Band Diagrams of Semiconductors
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Powered by AIIn the energy band diagram, electrons in the conduction band move from regions of higher to lower energy, while holes in the valence band move from regions of lower to higher energy. This motion generates electron current in the direction of decreasing electrostatic potential and hole current in the opposite direction, respectively. Thus, electron drift occurs in response to an applied electric field, contributing to the conduction process, while hole drift occurs due to their negative charge effectively moving in the opposite direction .
At T=0K, the semiconductor is in its ground state, meaning no electron transitions occur across the bandgap, and there are no free carriers. At T=300K, thermal energy is sufficient to excite some electrons from the valence band to the conduction band, leading to the creation of electron-hole pairs and increasing the carrier concentration .
If the Fermi level (EF) is closer to the conduction band, the semiconductor is N-type, indicating donor impurities. Conversely, EF closer to the valence band indicates P-type with acceptor impurities. To determine impurity concentration (Nd or Na), analyze the deviation of EF from the intrinsic Fermi level (EFi) using equations relating carrier concentrations and impurity levels. Specific calculations involve balancing charge neutrality with given NC and NV values, which are affected by the Fermi level's shift within the bandgap .
A tilted Fermi level in a semiconductor indicates a gradient in electrostatic potential across the material, leading to a non-equilibrium state characterized by a flow of charge carriers (current). This tilt suggests the presence of an electric field within the semiconductor, possibly due to an applied external voltage or internal gradients due to doping. Consequently, there are resultant diffusion processes driving carriers from high to low concentration regions and drift currents due to the electric field .
A smaller bandgap energy (Eg) reduces the energy required for electrons in the valence band to be thermally excited to the conduction band. At temperatures above 0K, this increased probability of excitation results in a higher intrinsic carrier concentration (ni) as more electron-hole pairs are generated. This relationship arises from the exponential dependency of ni on Eg in the expression for intrinsic carrier concentration .
In intrinsic semiconductors, the law of mass action states that the product of thermal equilibrium concentrations of electrons (n0) and holes (p0) equals the square of the intrinsic carrier concentration (ni^2). The equations n0 = ni*exp((EF − EFi)/kT) and p0 = ni*exp((EFi − EF)/kT) show that n0*p0 = ni^2, which conforms to this law as derived by multiplying the expressions and simplifying using exponent rules. The verification involves calculating n0 and p0 from known parameters and confirming their product is consistent with ni^2 .
When a photon with energy ℎ𝜈=1eV hits an electron, it may not have enough energy to excite the electron from the valence band to the conduction band if the bandgap Eg is greater than 1eV. However, a photon with ℎ𝜈=2eV can provide sufficient energy to bridge the bandgap, allowing electron excitation and subsequent generation of electron-hole pairs. The energy required for excitation depends on the bandgap energy of the material .
Applying an external voltage of V=2V lowers the potential energy of the electrons at the terminal where the positive voltage is applied and raises it at the grounded terminal. This causes the energy bands (conduction band EC and valence band EV) to tilt downwards from terminal A to B. The electron energy decreases in the direction of the applied voltage, creating a built-in electric field. This results in a diagram where the energy bands slope downwards from terminal A (high energy) to terminal B (low energy).
As temperature increases, thermal excitation can lead to intrinsic behavior in extrinsic semiconductors. This occurs when thermal-generated carrier concentrations surpass those due to impurities (dopants). At these elevated temperatures, the Fermi level shifts towards the intrinsic level (EFi), and charge carriers act as if intrinsic due to carrier pair generation from thermal energies exceeding bandgap thresholds, overshadowing donor or acceptor contributions .
The intrinsic Fermi level (Efi) coincides with the midgap energy in a semiconductor when the material is perfectly intrinsic, without any impurities or external influences that shift the Fermi level. In this balanced condition, electron and hole concentrations are symmetric, ensuring Efi is at the exact middle of the bandgap, given uniform distribution and absence of lattice defects or built-in fields .