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Why Semiconductors?
Conductors e.g Metals
Insulators e.g. Sand (SiO2)
Semiconductors
conductivity between conductors and insulators
Generally crystalline in structure
In recent years, non-crystalline semiconductors have
become commercially very important
5.43
(100) x
x
(011)
(111)
(100)
plane
(011)
flat
Si (111) plane
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Silicon crystal in
a two-dimensional
representation.
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Dopants in Silicon
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
As
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
Si
N-type Si
P-type Si
Electron
Ionized
Donor
Ionized
Acceptor
Immobile Charges
they DO NOT
contribute to current flow
with electric field is applied.
However, they affect the
local electric field
conduction band
Energy
p
s
valence band
isolated atoms
lattice spacing
Decreasing atomic separation
Energy states of Si atom (a) expand into energy bands of Si crystal (b).
The lower bands are filled and higher bands are empty in a semiconductor.
The highest filled band is the valence band.
The lowest empty band is the conduction band .
Ec
Eg Band gap
Ev
Valence band
Energy band diagram shows the bottom edge of conduction band,
Ec , and top edge of valence band, Ev .
Ec and Ev are separated by the band gap energy, Eg .
Ev
hole
PbTe
Ge
Si
GaAs
GaP
Diamond
0.31
0.67
1.12
1.42
2.25
6.0
Ec
E g= 9 eV
empty
E g = 1.1 eV
Ev
Ev
Si (Semiconductor)
SiO (Insulator)
2
filled
Ec
Conductor
Donor Level
Ec
Acceptor Level
Ea
Valence Band
Ev
Hydrogen:
E ion =
P
44
m0 q4
802h2
Acceptors
As
54
B
45
= 13.6 eV
Al
57
In
160
Donors
n-type
Acceptors
p-type
Dopant ionization
energy ~50meV (very low).
Charge neutrality:
n + Na p Nd
=0
Na
Nd
n + Na p Nd
Na
Nd
=0
Density of States
E
gc
Ec
Ec
g(E)
Ev
Ev
gv
gc ( E )
number of states in E
1
3
E volume
eV cm
mn* 2mn* (E Ec )
gc (E)
2 h3
gv ( E )
2 h3
Thermal Equilibrium
Thermal Equilibrium
An Analogy for Thermal Equilibrium
Sand particles
Dish
Vibrating Table
At E=EF, f(E)=1/2
Effect of T on f(E)
T=0K
Intrinsic Semiconductor
Extremely pure semiconductor sample containing an insignificant
amount of impurity atoms.
n = p = ni
Ef lies in the middle of the band gap
Material
Ge
Si
GaAs
Eg (eV)
0.67
1.12
1.42
ni (1/cm3)
2 x 1013
1 x 1010
2 x 106