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Semiconductor Theory
EE 21-Fundamentals of Electronics
Semiconductor Materials
Semiconductors special class of elements having conductivity between conductors and insulators Two classes: Single-crystal (Ge, Si) and Compound (GaAs, CdS, GaN, GaAsP) Most frequently used semiconductors: Ge, Si, GaAs
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Valence Electrons?
Valence term used to indicate that the ionization potential required to remove electron from the atom is lower. (lower than what?) Valence electrons electrons that are in the outermost shell of the atom. Depending on the # of VEs, an atom can be either trivalent (3), tetravalent (4), or pentavalent (5).
Free Electrons
Valence electrons can still absorb sufficient kinetic energy from natural causes and assume the free state Examples of natural causes light energy (photons), thermal energy (heat) in the surrounding medium Free electron any electron who has separated from the fixed lattice structure Free electrons are sensitive to any applied electric fields (i.e. voltage sources / potential differences)
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Reaction to Heat
Normally, conductor resistance increases with temperature (recall R RO (1 T ) ). (WHY?) Materials that react in this manner have a positive temperature coefficient. However, semiconductors exhibit an increased level of conductivity with the application of heat. (WHY?) Due to this property, semiconductors have a negative temperature coefficient.
Energy Levels
Within the atomic structure of each isolated atom there are specific energy levels associated with each shell and electron. The farther an electron is from the nucleus, the higher is the energy state Any electron that has left its parent atom (free) has a higher energy state than any electron in the parent structure.
Energy Levels
Energy Levels
As atoms are brought together to form the crystal lattice, interactions b/w atoms result in varying energy levels Energy levels expand from fixed, discrete levels to energy bands
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Energy Bands
Insulator
Semiconductor
Conductor
N-type material
Formed by adding pentavalent materials (Sb, As, P), also known as donor atoms Impurity atom gives an extra free electron N-type materials are still electrically neutral
P-type material
Formed by adding trivalent materials (B, Ga, In), also known as acceptor atoms Acceptor atom gives an extra free hole P-type materials are also electrically neutral
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N-type material
In an N-type material, the electron is the majority carrier and the hole is the minority carrier
Very limited supply of holes For extrinsic materials, there are now majority and minority carriers.
P-type material
In a P-type material, the hole is the majority carrier and the electron is the minority carrier
There we go!
The N-type and P-type materials are the foundation of semiconductor devices. Joining an N-type and a P-type material now leads us to the first solid-state device, the SEMICONDUCTOR DIODE.