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Fermi Level and Fermi Function

The Fermi level refers to the highest occupied electron energy level in a solid at absolute zero temperature. It represents the surface of a "Fermi sea" formed by electrons filling available energy states. The Fermi level plays a crucial role in determining the electrical and thermal properties of solids. It gives information about electron velocities and densities involved in electrical conduction. Only electrons within a small energy range near the Fermi level can participate in ordinary conduction and thermal processes.

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197 views

Fermi Level and Fermi Function

The Fermi level refers to the highest occupied electron energy level in a solid at absolute zero temperature. It represents the surface of a "Fermi sea" formed by electrons filling available energy states. The Fermi level plays a crucial role in determining the electrical and thermal properties of solids. It gives information about electron velocities and densities involved in electrical conduction. Only electrons within a small energy range near the Fermi level can participate in ordinary conduction and thermal processes.

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richard anish
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FermiLevel

"Fermilevel"isthetermusedtodescribethetopofthecollectionof
electronenergylevelsatabsolutezerotemperature.Thisconcept
comesfromFermiDiracstatistics.Electronsarefermionsandbythe
Pauliexclusionprinciplecannotexistinidenticalenergystates.Soat
absolutezerotheypackintothelowestavailableenergystatesand
buildupa"Fermisea"ofelectronenergystates.TheFermilevelisthe
surfaceofthatseaatabsolutezerowherenoelectronswillhave
enoughenergytoriseabovethesurface.TheconceptoftheFermi
energyisacruciallyimportantconceptfortheunderstandingofthe
electricalandthermalpropertiesofsolids.Bothordinaryelectricaland
thermalprocessesinvolveenergiesofasmallfractionofanelectron
volt.ButtheFermienergiesofmetalsareontheorderofelectron
volts.Thisimpliesthatthevastmajorityoftheelectronscannot
receiveenergyfromthoseprocessesbecausetherearenoavailable
energystatesforthemtogotowithinafractionofanelectronvoltof
theirpresentenergy.Limitedtoatinydepthofenergy,these
interactionsarelimitedto"ripplesontheFermisea".
Athighertemperaturesacertain
fraction,characterizedbytheFermi
function,willexistabovetheFermi
level.TheFermilevelplaysan
importantroleinthebandtheoryof
solids.Indopedsemiconductors,ptype
andntype,theFermilevelisshiftedby
theimpurities,illustratedbytheirband
gaps.TheFermilevelisreferredtoas
theelectronchemicalpotentialinother
contexts.
Inmetals,theFermienergygivesus
informationaboutthevelocitiesofthe
electronswhichparticipateinordinary
electricalconduction.Theamountof
energywhichcanbegiventoan
electroninsuchconductionprocessesis
ontheorderofmicroelectronvolts(see
copperwireexample),soonlythose
electronsveryclosetotheFermienergy

Index
Semiconductor
concepts
Semiconductors
forelectronics

canparticipate.TheFermivelocityof
theseconductionelectronscanbe
calculatedfromtheFermienergy.
Table
Thisspeedisapartofthemicroscopic
Ohm'sLawforelectricalconduction.
Forametal,thedensityofconduction
electronscanbeimpliedfromtheFermi
energy.
TheFermienergyalsoplaysanimportantroleinunderstandingthe
mysteryofwhyelectronsdonotcontributesignificantlytothespecific
heatofsolidsatordinarytemperatures,whiletheyaredominant
contributorstothermalconductivityandelectricalconductivity.Since
onlyatinyfractionoftheelectronsinametalarewithinthethermal
energykToftheFermienergy,theyare"frozenout"oftheheat
capacitybythePauliprinciple.Atverylowtemperatures,theelectron
specificheatbecomessignificant.
Fermienergiesformetals
TableofFermienergies

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FermiFunction
TheFermifunctionf(E)givestheprobabilitythatagivenavailableelectron
energystatewillbeoccupiedatagiventemperature.TheFermifunctioncomes
fromFermiDiracstatisticsandhastheform

Thebasicnatureofthisfunctiondictatesthatatordinarytemperatures,mostof
thelevelsuptotheFermilevelEFarefilled,andrelativelyfewelectronshave
energiesabovetheFermilevel.TheFermilevelisontheorderofelectronvolts
(e.g.,7eVforcopper),whereasthethermalenergykTisonlyabout0.026eV
at300K.IfyouputthosenumbersintotheFermifunctionatordinary
temperatures,youfindthatitsvalueisessentially1uptotheFermillevel,and
rapidlyapproacheszeroaboveit.
TheillustrationbelowshowstheimplicationsoftheFermifunctionforthe
electricalconductivityofasemiconductor.Thebandtheoryofsolidsgivesthe
picturethatthereisasizablegapbetweentheFermilevelandtheconduction
bandofthesemiconductor.Athighertemperatures,alargerfractionofthe
electronscanbridgethisgapandparticipateinelectricalconduction.

Index
Semiconductor
concepts
Semiconductors
forelectronics

NotethatalthoughtheFermifunctionhasafinitevalueinthegap,thereisno
electronpopulationatthoseenergies(that'swhatyoumeanbyagap).The
populationdependsupontheproductoftheFermifunctionandtheelectron
densityofstates.Sointhegaptherearenoelectronsbecausethedensityof
statesiszero.Intheconductionbandat0K,therearenoelectronseventhough
thereareplentyofavailablestates,buttheFermifunctioniszero.Athigh

temperatures,boththedensityofstatesandtheFermifunctionhavefinite
valuesintheconductionband,sothereisafiniteconductingpopulation.
FermiDiracdistributionasafunctionoftemperature

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DensityofEnergyStates
TheFermifunctiongivestheprobabilityofoccupyinganavailableenergy
state,butthismustbefactoredbythenumberofavailableenergystatesto
determinehowmanyelectronswouldreachtheconductionband.This
densityofstatesistheelectrondensityofstates,buttherearedifferencesin
itsimplicationsforconductorsandsemiconductors.Fortheconductor,the
densityofstatescanbeconsideredtostartatthebottomofthevalenceband
andfilluptotheFermilevel,butsincetheconductionbandandvalence
bandoverlap,theFermilevelisintheconductionbandsothereareplentyof
electronsavailableforconduction.Inthecaseofthesemiconductor,the
densityofstatesisofthesameform,butthedensityofstatesforconduction
electronsbeginsatthetopofthegap.

Index
Semiconductor
concepts
Semiconductors
forelectronics
Reference
Simpson

Sec4.7

Electronenergydensityfunction

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PopulationofConductionBandfora
Semiconductor

Index
Semiconductor
concepts
Thepopulationofconductionelectronsforasemiconductorisgivenby

Reference
Simpson
Sec4.7

Show
where

Forasemiconductorwithbandgap
Ge)
attemperature

K=

theconductionelectronpopulationis

Semiconductors
forelectronics

eV(1.1eVforSi,0.72eVfor
C
x10^

electrons/m3.
Youcouldusethiscalculationtoverifythattheconductionelectronpopulation
Ncbingermaniumdoublesforabouta13degreeriseintemperature.For
silicon,Ncbdoublesforaboutan8degreeriseintemperature.Becauseofthe
largerbandgap,therewillbefewerconductionelectronsinsiliconthan
germaniumforanygiventemperature.

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