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Pure silicon is an intrinsic semiconductor, which means that unlike metals, it conducts electron holes and electrons released from atoms by heat; silicon's electrical conductivity increases with higher temperatures. Pure silicon has too low a conductivity (i.e., too high a resistivity) to be used as a
In solid-state physics, the valence band and conduction band are the bands closest to the Fermi level, and thus determine the electrical conductivity of the solid. In nonmetals, the valence band is the highest range of electron energies in which electrons are normally present at absolute zero temperature, while the conduction band is the lowest range of vacant electronic states.
The conductivity of silicon is increased by adding a small amount (of the order of 1 in 10 8) of pentavalent (antimony, phosphorus, or arsenic) or trivalent (boron, gallium, indium) atoms. [3] This process is known as doping, and the resulting semiconductors are known as doped or extrinsic semiconductors. Apart from doping, the conductivity of ...
In this case, the electron motion is no longer directly comparable to a free electron; the speed of an electron will depend on its direction, and it will accelerate to a different degree depending on the direction of the force. Still, in crystals such as silicon the overall properties such as conductivity appear to be isotropic.
Then the electron mobility μ is defined as =. Electron mobility is almost always specified in units of cm 2 /(V⋅s). This is different from the SI unit of mobility, m 2 /(V⋅s). They are related by 1 m 2 /(V⋅s) = 10 4 cm 2 /(V⋅s). Conductivity is proportional to the product of mobility and carrier concentration. For example, the same ...
When the electron in pure silicon crosses the gap, it leaves behind an electron vacancy or "hole" in the regular silicon lattice. Under the influence of an external voltage, both the electron and the hole can move across the material. In an n-type semiconductor, the dopant contributes extra electrons, dramatically increasing the conductivity.
For example, doping pure silicon with a small amount of phosphorus will increase the carrier density of electrons, n. Then, since n > p, the doped silicon will be a n-type extrinsic semiconductor. Doping pure silicon with a small amount of boron will increase the carrier density of holes, so then p > n, and it will be a p-type extrinsic ...
A semiconductor device is an electronic component that relies on the electronic properties of a semiconductor material (primarily silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide, as well as organic semiconductors) for its function. Its conductivity lies between conductors and insulators. Semiconductor devices have replaced vacuum tubes in most ...