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Elemental vs. Compound Semiconductors

The document provides an overview of semiconductor physics, defining semiconductors, their characteristics, and classifications into elemental and compound types. It explains intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, the concept of electron-hole pairs, and the differences between n-type and p-type semiconductors. Additionally, it covers the Hall effect, its applications, and the position of the Fermi energy level in different types of semiconductors.

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mukesh.302008
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23 views4 pages

Elemental vs. Compound Semiconductors

The document provides an overview of semiconductor physics, defining semiconductors, their characteristics, and classifications into elemental and compound types. It explains intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, the concept of electron-hole pairs, and the differences between n-type and p-type semiconductors. Additionally, it covers the Hall effect, its applications, and the position of the Fermi energy level in different types of semiconductors.

Uploaded by

mukesh.302008
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

MODULE – II

SEMICONDUCTOR PHYSICS
1. What is meant by a semiconductor? Give examples.
Semiconductor is a special class of material which is very small in size and sensitive
to heat, light and electricity. It behaves as insulator at 0 K and act as conductor at higher
temperature. They have band gap between the empty conduction band and filled valence
band. Examples: Ge, Si, GaAs etc.

2. What are the characteristics of semiconductors?


 They are formed by covalent bond.
 They have empty conduction band and almost filled valence band.
 They have negative temperature coefficient of resistance.
 They behave as insulator at 0 K.

3. What are the classifications of semiconductors?


Based on the composition of materials, semiconductors are classified into two types.
They are,
 Elemental semiconductor (or) Indirect band gap semiconductor
 Compound semiconductor (or) Direct band gap semiconductor
Based on the purity of materials, semiconductors are classified into two types. They are,
 Intrinsic semiconductor ( Pure form)
 Extrinsic semiconductor ( Impure form)

4. What are elemental semiconductors? Give examples.


The semiconductors made from a single element of fourth group elements in
periodic table are called as elemental semiconductors. They are also known as indirect
band gap semiconductors.
Examples: Ge, Si

5. What are compound semiconductors? Give examples.


The semiconductors formed by combining third and fifth group elements or
second and sixth group elements in periodic table are called as compound semiconductors.
They may belong to indirect or direct band gap group of semiconductors.
Examples: GaAS, InP, ZnO, ZnS

6. What do you understand by the term electron-hole pair?

24BSPH203 – PHYSICS FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE Page 1


When the temperature of the semiconductor is increased above 0 K, if one electron
moves from valence band to conduction band, it creates one hole in the valence band. This
electron in the conduction band and the hole created in the valence band is called as an
electron-hole pair.

7. Explain the concept of hole in semiconductor.


In an intrinsic semiconductor, the charge carriers are created due to breaking of
covalent bonds. When a covalent bond is broken, an electron escapes to the conduction band
and leaving an empty space in the valence band. This vacancy created by an electron is
occupied by another positively charged particle called as a ‘hole’.

8. Compare elemental and compound semiconductors.

[Link] Elemental semiconductor / Compound semiconductor /


Indirect band gap semiconductor Direct band gap semiconductor
1 They are made of single element. They are made of compounds.
Example: Ge, Si Example: GaAs, InP, ZnO, ZnS
2 Electron - hole recombination takes place Electron-hole recombination takes
through traps. So they are called as indirect place directly. So they are called as
band gap semiconductor. direct band gap semiconductor.
3 During recombination, heat energy is During recombination, light energy
released. is released.
4 Life time of charge carriers is more. Life time of charge carriers is less.
5 They are used for making diodes and They are used for making LED’s and
transistors. Laser diodes.

9. Why do we prefer silicon for transistors and GaAs for laser diodes?
Silicon is an indirect band gap semiconductor for which the life time of the charge
carriers is more and the current amplification is also very high, hence it is preferable for using
it in transistors. GaAs is a direct band gap semiconductor, in which electrons and holes
recombine directly to produce photons and hence used in Laser diodes.

10. Why is silicon preferred over germanium in preparing diode?


Silicon is widely encountered in nature in the form of sand. Silicon has a larger band-
gap than Germanium and because of this, the phenomenon of thermal pair generation is
smaller in Si than in Ge which leads to smaller noise in the Si devices than the noise of Ge
devices. The reverse current of a p-n junction is smaller for Si than Ge.

11. What is an intrinsic semiconductor?


Semiconductor in an extremely pure form without
any impurities is known as intrinsic semiconductor.

12. What is an extrinsic semiconductor?


Semiconductor in an impure form with the addition of impurities is known as extrinsic
semiconductor.

24BSPH203 – PHYSICS FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE Page 2


13. State the law of mass action in semiconductors.
For any given semiconductor, the product of electron (n) and hole (p) concentration
remains constant at a given temperature and is equal to the square of the intrinsic carrier
concentration (ni). n.p = ni2

14. What are the classifications of extrinsic semiconductor?


The extrinsic semiconductor can be classified into two types based on the type of
impurity added. They are,
 n – type semiconductor (pentavalent impurities)
 p – type semiconductor (trivalent impurities)

15. Bring out the differences between intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductor.
[Link] Intrinsic semiconductor Extrinsic semiconductor
1 Semiconductor in a pure form without Semiconductor in an impure form
any impurities is called intrinsic with the addition of impurities is
semiconductor. known as extrinsic semiconductor.
Example: Ge, Si Example: Ge and Si doped with Al,
P,B.
2 Here, the charge carriers are produced Here, the charge carriers are
only due to thermal agitation. produced due to impurities and also
due to thermal agitation.
3 They have low electrical conductivity. They have high electrical
conductivity.
4 They have low operating temperature. They have high operating
temperature.

16. What is an n – type semiconductor?


When a small amount of pentavalent impurity atom (arsenic, antimony &
phosphorous) is added to a pure semiconductor, it becomes extrinsic or impure
semiconductor and it is known as n – type semiconductor.

17. What is an p – type semiconductor?


When a small amount of trivalent impurity atom (boron, gallium & indium) is added
to a pure semiconductor, it becomes extrinsic or impure semiconductor and it is known as p–
type semiconductor.

18. Define drift and diffusion current.


Drift current is the flow of electric current due to an electric field. It is caused by the
movement of charge carriers in response to an external electric field.
Diffusion current is the flow of electric current due to a change in carrier concentration. It is
caused by the movement of carriers from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower
concentration
24BSPH203 – PHYSICS FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE Page 3
19. Bring out the differences between n – type and p – type semiconductor.
[Link] n – type semiconductor p - type semiconductor
1 When a pentavalent impurity is When a trivalent impurity is doped to
doped to a pure semiconductor, n – a pure semiconductor, p – type
type semiconductor is formed. semiconductor is formed.
2 The impurity is called donor because The impurity is called acceptor
it donates electron. because it accepts electron.
3 Majority charge carriers are electrons. Majority charge carriers are holes.
4 Minority charge carriers are holes. Minority charge carriers are electrons.
5 Fermi energy level decreases with Fermi energy level increases with
increase of temperature. increase of temperature.
6 Donor energy level just below that of Acceptor energy level just above that
conduction band. of valence band.

20. What is Hall effect?


When a conductor carrying a current (I) is placed perpendicular to a magnetic
field (B), a potential difference is produced inside the conductor in a direction normal
to both the current and magnetic field. This phenomenon is known as Hall effect and the
generated voltage is called Hall voltage.

21. Given an extrinsic semiconductor, how will you find whether it is n-type or p-type?
The polarity of Hall voltage will indicate whether the given semiconductor is n-
type or p-type. And also measuring Hall coefficient (RH) by Hall effect we can find out
the nature of the given semiconductor.
If RH is positive, then the given semiconductor is p – type semiconductor.
If RH is negative, then the given semiconductor is n – type semiconductor.

22. Mention the applications of Hall effect.


 It is used to find the nature of semiconductor.
 It is used to find the carrier concentration.
 It is used to find mobility of the charge carriers.
 It is used to measure the magnetic flux density using a semiconductor sample of
known Hall coefficient.

23. What is the position of Fermi energy level for an intrinsic semiconductor, n – type
semiconductor and p - type semiconductor at 0 K?
Intrinsic semiconductor - Fermi energy level lies exactly midway between the
conduction band and valence band at 0 K.
n – type semiconductor - Fermi energy level lies exactly midway between the conduction
band and donor energy level at 0 K.
p - type semiconductor - Fermi energy level lies exactly midway between the valence
band and acceptor energy level at 0 K.

24BSPH203 – PHYSICS FOR INFORMATION SCIENCE Page 4

Common questions

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Intrinsic semiconductors have low electrical conductivity and originate charge carriers solely due to thermal agitation. In contrast, extrinsic semiconductors have higher electrical conductivity, with charge carriers primarily originating from the added impurities, and also from thermal agitation .

Drift current in semiconductors arises from charge carriers moving under the influence of an external electric field, while diffusion current results from carriers moving due to a concentration gradient. Both drift and diffusion currents contribute to the total current flowing through a semiconductor, accounting for its conductivity under various physical conditions .

The polarity of Hall voltage and the Hall coefficient (RH) measured using the Hall effect can determine whether an extrinsic semiconductor is n-type or p-type. A positive RH indicates a p-type semiconductor, whereas a negative RH indicates an n-type semiconductor .

The Hall effect is applied in semiconductor technology to determine the nature of a semiconductor (n-type or p-type), measure carrier concentration, evaluate charge carrier mobility, and measure magnetic flux density using a known Hall coefficient of a semiconductor sample .

Silicon has a larger band gap than Germanium, which results in a reduced thermal pair generation, yielding lower noise and smaller reverse current in Si devices as compared to Ge. This makes silicon a preferred choice for diodes and applications where low noise and stability are crucial, while germanium might be used in high-speed applications despite its higher leakage current .

As temperature increases, electrons gain enough energy to move from the valence band to the conduction band, creating electron-hole pairs. This process enhances the conductivity of semiconductors since both the electrons in the conduction band and the resulting holes in the valence band act as charge carriers .

N-type semiconductors are formed by doping a semiconductor with pentavalent impurities, leading to electrons being the majority carriers and holes being the minority carriers. Conversely, p-type semiconductors are doped with trivalent impurities, resulting in holes as the majority carriers and electrons as the minority .

Silicon is preferred for transistors because it is an indirect band gap semiconductor with a high life time of charge carriers, which contributes to higher current amplification. Meanwhile, GaAs is favored for laser diodes due to its direct band gap characteristic, which enables direct electron-hole recombination resulting in the emission of photons, crucial for laser applications .

At 0 Kelvin, in an intrinsic semiconductor, the Fermi energy level lies midway between the conduction and valence bands. In n-type semiconductors, the Fermi level moves closer to the conduction band, while in p-type semiconductors, it shifts towards the valence band. These shifts in Fermi level positions define the electronic properties and behavior of each type of semiconductor under specific conditions .

Elemental semiconductors, such as Ge and Si, are known as indirect band gap semiconductors. In these, electron-hole recombination occurs through traps, and the recombination process primarily releases heat energy. In contrast, compound semiconductors like GaAs and InP are direct band gap semiconductors where electron-hole recombination takes place directly, resulting in the release of light energy .

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