Conductor? Copper atom => one electron in its outer orbit. This single electron can be easily dislodged from its atom => free electron . Good conductor => slightest voltage causes free electrons to flow from one atom to the next.
Semiconductor =>Semi + Conductor Ex: Si
Semiconductor Silicon is the most widely used semiconductor material. An isolated silicon atom has four electrons in its outer, or valence, orbit. Conductors => 1 valence electron Semiconductors => 4 valence electrons, Insulators => 8 valence electrons.
SILICON CRYSTALS Each silicon atom in a crystal has its four valence electrons plus four more electrons that are shared by the neighboring atoms . Room temperature=> pure silicon crystal has only a few thermally produced free electrons and holes. The amount of time between the creation and recombination of a free electron and a hole is called the lifetime .
Silicon Crystal
Insulator? How the conductivity in Insulator?
Energy Bands Semiconductors, Conductors, & Insulators Energy gap-the difference between the energy levels of any two orbital shells Band-another name for an orbital shell (valence shell=valence band) Conduction band –the band outside the valence shell where it has free electrons.
Intrinsic Semiconductors Intrinsic semiconductor => pure semiconductor. When an external voltage is applied to the intrinsic semiconductor => Free electrons flow toward the + Ve battery terminal & Holes flow toward the + Ve battery terminal. Two Types of Flow: Flow of free electrons through larger orbits (conduction band). Flow of holes through smaller orbits (valence band).
DOPING A SEMICONDUCTOR ? Why Doping? Extrinsic Semiconductor => Intrinsic Semiconductor + Doping => Doped Semiconductor How the conductivity after doping?
N-type and P-type Semiconductors Trivalent Impurities: Aluminum (Al) Gallium ( Ga ) Boron (B) Indium (In) Pentavalent Impurites : Phosphorus (P) Arsenic (As) Antimony ( Sb ) Bismuth (Bi) 2 types of doping : trivalent (3 valence e-) & pentavalent (5 valence e-) p -type material – a semiconductor => trivalent impurities n -type material – a semiconductor => pentavalent impurities