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This document compares conductors, insulators, and semiconductors. It then discusses semiconductors in more detail. Conductors have a weak attraction between the core and valence electrons, allowing electrons to move freely. Insulators have a strong attraction, tightly binding electrons. Semiconductors have an intermediate attraction, allowing some electron movement. The document discusses doping semiconductors with n-type or p-type dopants to increase free electrons or holes, respectively. A PN junction is formed at the boundary between p-type and n-type materials and forms the basis of a diode.

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6 views

L1

This document compares conductors, insulators, and semiconductors. It then discusses semiconductors in more detail. Conductors have a weak attraction between the core and valence electrons, allowing electrons to move freely. Insulators have a strong attraction, tightly binding electrons. Semiconductors have an intermediate attraction, allowing some electron movement. The document discusses doping semiconductors with n-type or p-type dopants to increase free electrons or holes, respectively. A PN junction is formed at the boundary between p-type and n-type materials and forms the basis of a diode.

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fsms2020g
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Difference Between conductor, Insulator and

Semiconductor
Conductor

net charge of +1 (+29 of protons -28 of


electrons)

Net Charge of copper atom

copper atom Because the core has a net charge of only


+1, the attraction between the core and
the valence electron is very weak.
Insulators

Neon atom
Because the core has a net charge of +8, the
inward pull felt by the valence electrons is very
large.
Semiconductors

A silicon atom
Comparison between Silicon and Germanium atoms
Covalent Bonds
Silicon Crystals This bonding of atoms, strengthened by the
sharing of electrons, is called covalent
bonding

Each silicon atom shares its valence


At room temperature there are approximately
electrons with four neighboring
1.5 X 1010 free carriers in 1 cm3 of intrinsic
atoms
silicon material, that is, 15,000,000,000 (15
billion) electrons in a space smaller than a
small sugar cube—an
enormous number.
Free carriers in GaAs have more than five times the mobility of free carriers in Si

A factor that results in response times using GaAs electronic devices that can be up to five
times those of the same devices made from Si
ENERGY LEVELS
The Holes
• At room temperature, the
thermal energy in the air
causes the atoms in a silicon
crystal to vibrate. These
vibrations remove the electron
from the valence orbit. This
free electron starts moving
randomly throughout the
crystal.

Flow of Free Electrons and Holes


Doping a Semiconductor
To increase the number of holes and free electrons in a
silicon crystal, and thus to increase its conductivity

Doping is the process of adding impurities to a pure silicon


crystal to alter its electrical conductivity. And the impurity that is
added is called a Dopant.
n-Type Semiconductor
Silicon which is doped to increase the number of free electrons is called n-type
semiconductor
donor impurities
pentavalent impurities such as
phosphorus, antimony or arsenic are
added to silicon, have five valence
electrons.

Phosphorus atom
Each pentavalent atom in a silicon crystal At room temperature in an intrinsic Si material there is about
produces one free electron, the resulting one free electron for every 1012 atoms. If the dosage level is 1 in 10
doped material has a large number of free million (107 ), the ratio 1012/107 = 105 indicates that the carrier
electrons. concentration has increased by a ratio of 100,000:1.

Free electrons are called majority carriers and holes are called minority carriers.
p-Type Semiconductor
To increase the number of holes, trivalent impurities such as aluminum, boron, or gallium
are added to silicon. Trivalent atoms, as the name suggests, have three valence electrons.

In an p-type semiconductor, as holes are greater in number than free electrons, holes are
called majority carriers and free electrons are called minority carriers.
PN Junction Diode

A manufacturer can produce a single silicon crystal with p-type material on one side and n-
type on the other side. The border between p-type and n-type is called the PN junction.
Reverse-Bias Condition (VD > 0 V)

The current that exists under reverse-bias conditions is called the


reverse saturation current and is represented by Is.
Forward-Bias Condition (VD<0 V)
semiconductor diode can be defined by the following equation, referred to as
Shockley’s equation, for the forward- and reverse-bias regions:

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