Q1-why copper is good conductor whereas silicon is

semiconductor??
Copper is a Good Conductor. Why?
Materials that conduct electricity well, such as copper, are called
conductors. Materials that do not conduct electricity well, such as
glass, are called insulators. Semiconductors can act as insulators
or conductors, depending on their construction and temperature.
Copper is one basic element that is represented by the chemical
symbol, Cu. It is characterized to be ductile and was found to be
great conductors of heat and electricity.
The conducting power of copper makes it one of the most
preferred electrical conductors, especially in construction of
buildings and large infrastructures. Copper is a good conductor of
electricity because of its huge charge density allowing more
electrons to flow in its conducting system. This high charge
density that copper possesses is the responsible for the slow drift
of velocity that occurs when electrical charges are being
discharged and transmitted. Among the many elements
discovered and classified, copper is the most opted type of
electrical conductor because aside from its high conductivity, it is
found to be cheaper compared to the best conductor, silver.
Nowadays, copper is the most common material used for
electrical wiring.
Copper is physically characterized to be malleable and ductile
that comes in reddish, orangish, or brownish color. These colors
are attributed to a thin layer of tarnish that copper contains.
Copper is commonly used for industrial and commercial purposes
such as in electronics, architecture, agriculture, alloys and
biomedical applications.
Silicon is a semiconductor. Why?
Silicon is a group IV element, and its valence energy band is
exactly half filled with electrons (out of a possible 8 electrons, it

has 4 in its valence band). By itself, it does not have many free
electrons floating loosely about its crystal lattice and is a bad
conductor. However, when doped with a group V element, of
which the atoms replace some of the silicon atoms in the crystal
lattice, a surplus of electrons are introduced that do NOT have a
fixed place in the crystal lattice. These electrons may be caused
to drift by an applied electric field, resulting in current flow,
causing the silicon to act as a conductor. Similarly, if a group III
impurity is added, it results in "holes" in the lattice. Electrons can
jump from hole to hole and once again cause current flow.
So, silicon in its pure state does not conduct electricity, but may
be transformed into a conductor by adding impurities that cause a
surplus of free charges that are not fixed in the lattice structure.
Q2-WHY silicon is widely used in semiconductor device as
compared to Germanium?
As we all know, both Silicon and Germanium are semiconductor
devices. But the present trend is to use Silicon instead of
Germanium because of the following reasons:
At room temperature, Silicon crystal has fewer free electrons
than Germanium crystal. This implies that silicon will have
much smaller Collector cut off current than Germanium.
The variation of Collector cut off current with temperature is
less in Silicon compared to Germanium.
The structure of Germanium crystals will be destroyed at
higher temperature. However, Silicon crystals are not easily
damaged by excess heat.
Peak Inverse Voltage ratings of Silicon diodes are greater
than Germanium diodes.
Si is less expensive due to the greater abundance of
element. The major raw material for Si wafer fabrication is
sand and there is lots of sand available in nature.

But there is a disadvantage for Silicon over Germanium.

The potential Barrier of Silicon is more compared to Germanium.
But if we consider the advantages listed above, we can conclude
that Silicon is the best element for the Semiconductor Devices
and Applications.