DRIFT CURRENT AND DIFFUSION CURRENT

There are two types of current through a semiconducting material – one is drift current and the
other is diffusion current.

The mechanism of drift current is similar to the flow of charge in a conductor. In case of conductor
when a voltage is applied across the material, the electrons are drawn to the positive end. Similar is
the case in semiconductor. However, the movement of the charge carriers may be erratic path due
to collisions with other atoms, ions and carriers. So, the net result is a drift of carriers to the positive
end.

In semiconducting material, when a heavy concentration of carrier is introduced to some region, the
heavy concentrations of carriers distribute themselves evenly through the material by the process of
diffusion. It should be remembered that there is no source of energy as required for drift current.

When an electric field is applied across the crystal, every charge carrier experiences a force due to
the electric field and hence it will be accelerated in the direction of force. This results in drifting of
the charge carriers in the direction of force will cause a net flow of electric current through the
crystal. The magnitude of this current can be obtained by imagining an average drift velocity for
every charge carrier in the direction of force. As the electrons and holes are of opposite charges, the
force due to electric field on them will be opposite in direction. Hence the average drift velocity of
the electrons will be in a direction opposite to the average drift velocity of the holes.

Let Vh = average drift velocity of holes

Ve = average drift velocity of the electrons.

Vh α E => Vh= µh E and Ve α E => Ve= µe E , where µh ,µe are the hole and electron mobility
and positive quantity. Also we may say the mobility of the charge carriers are the average drift
velocity per unit electric field applied.

Now the drift current density for hole and electrons are given by

Jh1 = p e Vh and Je1 = - n e Ve , where n,p are the electron and hole densities.

Negative sign indicates that the electrons having -ve charge move in direction opposite to the
applied field.

Total drift current density Jd = Jh1 + Je1 = p e Vh–n e Ve

= p e µh E + n e µe E

= ( p µh + n µe ) e E

For an intrinsic semiconductor ni = pi

So we can write Jd = ni e (µh + µe )E => Jd1 = σ E , where σ = ni e (µh + µe ) refers to electrical

The electrons move with more ease compared to holes through the semiconductor I.e. the mobility
of the electrons in a semi conducting material is considerably greater than that of holes. Ve>> Vh and
hence semiconductor current is largely due to free electrons. Only a small fraction of current is due
to holes.
In semiconductor due to the non-uniformity of charge carriers (electrons/holes) which gives the
diffusion current (is independent of the electric field) even when no electric field is applied. It
depends on the concentration gradient.

Let us suppose that the concentration of holes(p) varies with the distance x
ௗ௣
Jh2 = - e Dp , where Dp is diffusion constant or diffusion coefficient or diffusivity of
ௗ௫
holes.

The hole concentration is higher at lower value of x, so we assume the concentration gradient is
negative along the +ve X- direction and the diffusion current due to hole is +ve along the +ve X-
direction.

Similarly diffusion current density for electrons

Here we take positive sign because electronic charge is negative and also the concentration gradient
is negative which makes Je2 +ve and also it is +ve along the -ve X-axis
ௗ௡ ௗ௣
So the resultant diffusion current density for both holes and electrons is JD = e (‫ܦ‬௡ ௗ௫ − ‫ܦ‬௣ ௗ௫ )

Total current density in semiconductor is the sum of drift current and diffusion current is given by

J = Jd + JD
ௗ௡ ௗ௣
= e ( p µh + n µe ) E + e (‫ܦ‬௡ ௗ௫ − ‫ܦ‬௣ ௗ௫)

PN JUNCTION
When a piece of semiconducting material is doped with pentavalent impurity in one side and with a
trivalent impurity in the other side then the interface between the different regions is called pn-
junction. A typical width of such pn junction is 10-4 cm.

The Fermi level in p type material is located close to the valence band whereas in n type material it
lies close to the bottom of the conduction band.

When the contact between the two types of materials is made then to made Fermi level in a line,
electrons in conduction band on n type side(supplied by n pentavalent impurity atoms) travel across
the junction and leave positively ionised impurity atoms un neutralised. Consequently, there is a
positively charged region adjacent to the junction in n type material. Electrons in conduction band of
n side moves to the conduction band of p side so the Fermi level of n type lowers its level and in the
p side it raises to align the Fermi level.

On the p side, the electrons which have traversed the boundary recombine with positive holes in the
valence band. Near to the junction on p side, there is a layer of un neutralised negatively ionised
trivalent impurity atoms which form a negatively charged region. These unneutralised impurity
atoms are termed as immobile ions. These immobile ions are bound in the crystal lattice and no
charges are available for conduction close to the junction. This region around the junction is called
charge depletion region or space charge region. Due to this space charge, an internal potential
barrier, VB , exists between n and p regions. The band edges in the two samples shifts themselves to
make the alignment of Fermi level possible and the energy band diagram remains no more of the
shape shown in figure.1, but assume a shape shown in figure.2.
 Figure.1

Figure.2

The conduction band of p type shifted upwards by eVB , where VB (= Eb/e) is the potential barrier
across the junction arising due to already mentioned space charge.

Minority electrons in the conduction band of p side is at higher energy than the majority electrons in
conduction band of n type crystal. The electrons crossing the junction from p region side will not
encounter the potential barrier while the electrons crossing the junction from n region side will face
this barrier.