Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Consider a sample with cross-sectional area A, length l and an electron concentration of n. The current carried by each electron must be , so that the total current density due to electrons is given by: = = Using the expression for gives = A similar set of equations applies to the holes, (noting that the charge on a hole is positive).
In general, an electron in a conductor will propagate randomly at the Fermi velocity, resulting in an average velocity of zero. Applying an electric field adds to this random motion a small net flow in one direction; this is the drift. Drift velocity of electrons. Drift velocity is proportional to current.
In electromagnetism, current density is the amount of charge per unit time that flows through a unit area of a chosen cross section. [1] The current density vector is defined as a vector whose magnitude is the electric current per cross-sectional area at a given point in space, its direction being that of the motion of the positive charges at this point.
The drift velocity, and resulting current, is characterized by the mobility; for details, see electron mobility (for solids) or electrical mobility (for a more general discussion). See drift–diffusion equation for the way that the drift current, diffusion current , and carrier generation and recombination are combined into a single equation.
The red dot e 1 shows a conduction electron in the sheet right after it has undergone a collision with an atom, and e 2 shows the same electron after it has been accelerated by the magnetic field. On average at e 1 the electron has the same velocity as the sheet (v, black arrow) in the +x direction.
Diffusion current is a current in a semiconductor caused by the diffusion of charge carriers (electrons and/or electron holes). This is the current which is due to the transport of charges occurring because of non-uniform concentration of charged particles in a semiconductor.
A current (due to the combined effects of drift and diffusion) will only appear if there is a variation in the Fermi or quasi Fermi level. The current density for electron flow can be shown to be proportional to the gradient in the electron quasi Fermi level.
The drift velocity deals with the average velocity of a particle, such as an electron, due to an electric field. In general, an electron will propagate randomly in a conductor at the Fermi velocity. [5] Free electrons in a conductor follow a random path. Without the presence of an electric field, the electrons have no net velocity.