# Semiconductor physics Definition and 18 Discussions

A semiconductor material has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as metallic copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way. Its conducting properties may be altered in useful ways by introducing impurities ("doping") into the crystal structure. When two differently-doped regions exist in the same crystal, a semiconductor junction is created. The behavior of charge carriers, which include electrons, ions and electron holes, at these junctions is the basis of diodes, transistors and most modern electronics. Some examples of semiconductors are silicon, germanium, gallium arsenide, and elements near the so-called "metalloid staircase" on the periodic table. After silicon, gallium arsenide is the second most common semiconductor and is used in laser diodes, solar cells, microwave-frequency integrated circuits, and others. Silicon is a critical element for fabricating most electronic circuits.
Semiconductor devices can display a range of useful properties, such as passing current more easily in one direction than the other, showing variable resistance, and sensitivity to light or heat. Because the electrical properties of a semiconductor material can be modified by doping, or by the application of electrical fields or light, devices made from semiconductors can be used for amplification, switching, and energy conversion.
The conductivity of silicon is increased by adding a small amount (of the order of 1 in 108) of pentavalent (antimony, phosphorus, or arsenic) or trivalent (boron, gallium, indium) atoms. This process is known as doping and the resulting semiconductors are known as doped or extrinsic semiconductors. Apart from doping, the conductivity of a semiconductor can be improved by increasing its temperature. This is contrary to the behavior of a metal in which conductivity decreases with an increase in temperature.
The modern understanding of the properties of a semiconductor relies on quantum physics to explain the movement of charge carriers in a crystal lattice. Doping greatly increases the number of charge carriers within the crystal. When a doped semiconductor contains free holes it is called "p-type", and when it contains free electrons it is known as "n-type". The semiconductor materials used in electronic devices are doped under precise conditions to control the concentration and regions of p- and n-type dopants. A single semiconductor device crystal can have many p- and n-type regions; the p–n junctions between these regions are responsible for the useful electronic behavior. Using a hot-point probe, one can determine quickly whether a semiconductor sample is p- or n-type.Some of the properties of semiconductor materials were observed throughout the mid 19th and first decades of the 20th century. The first practical application of semiconductors in electronics was the 1904 development of the cat's-whisker detector, a primitive semiconductor diode used in early radio receivers. Developments in quantum physics led in turn to the invention of the transistor in 1947, the integrated circuit in 1958, and the MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor) in 1959.

View More On Wikipedia.org
1. ### A Empirical tight-binding sp3s* band structure of semiconductors

I'm simulating on code the tight-binding sp3s* bandstructure of certain semiconductors, such as GaAs, AlP, InP, ZnSe, etc. with spin-orbit coupling at a temperature of T = 0 K but I'm having trouble at finding the corresponding spin-orbit splitting parameters. For example, I've found in this...
2. ### Donor and Acceptor Concentrations in a Si speciment

At the left side we have the n-side of the junction, whereas at the right we have the p-side. I am a little confused over $N_D$ and $N_A$ at the n-side. Do the Ga atoms interact with the As ones, so we have $N_D = 2*10^{16} \text{cm}^{-3}$, or not, ans thus we have $N_A=2*10^{16} \text{cm}^{-3}$...
3. ### Learning about condensed matter physics as a particle physicist

I am on my first year of my master's degree in nuclear and particle physics, and right now i am ending my first semester, where i decided to take a course in physics of semiconductors. As i end this semester i start to wonder if there was any use in learning about this subject, as it seems like...
4. ### Does Drain Current Increase if Doping Increases?

I'm an EE with only a surface knowledge of solid state. I know this forum is mostly for students but I don't know where else to find a lot of physicists. Also, please forgive me if this is a dumb question. For a circuit I want to build, I need a transistor that can conduct > 10,000 A, but does...
5. ### Calculating the speed of a JFET

Hello there, I believe here I need to find the capacitance of the junction between the P-doped gate and N-channel. Then I could find the RC time constant although I am not sure if there's something more I need to find the speed of the JFET? What I'm unsure of is the depletion width h to use...
6. ### Built in Voltage of 3-Layer PN Junction

For a normal PN junction I would try to find $V_{bi}$ by integrating the carrier density (eg. the electrons n) from one region to the other: $$\int_{n_{p0}}^{n} \frac {dn}{n} = \frac {q}{kT}\int_{V_p}^{V_n} dV$$ Which would yield: V_{bi}=V_n-V_p=\frac...
7. ### Silicon and Germanium semiconductor mixtures used in component manufacturing?

Can Silicon and Germanium semiconductors mixture (chemical reaction) with some other chemical elements (if required) assist in creating new and existing robust electronic components? Si + Ge + ? + ? = Can this assist in quantum computing?
8. ### What makes up a "current" in solid state physics?

If there is some incoming light that has hit electrons of a N-type doped silicon and broke loose these electrons from their covalent bounds and excited them to the conduction band and also excited the electrons in the donor energy level to the conduction band as well, here we know that, the...
9. ### I Confusion about ionised atom, free electron, conduction band, donor energy level and acceptor energy level

Homework Statement:: Ionised atom, free electron, conduction band, donor energy level and acceptor energy level Relevant Equations:: None I have some confusion about the concept of some electronic bands and energy levels. Beyond valance band, in a solid crystal lattice, For an atom, can...
10. ### I What subfields does semiconductor physics comprise?

What subfields semiconductor physics comprise?
11. ### A 2D Harmonica Oscillator For Holes In Magnetic Field

Hello I am bemused by a sign convention for Holes, My questions are as follow: For an electron inside the 2D Circular Quantum Well. We can write our Hamiltonian as H = 1/2m * ( p - q A)^2 + 1/2 m w^2 r^2 (Should we use minus in the momentum term? I think for Holes, it is) If we expand this...
12. ### Doping semiconductors compounded from various element groups

Hi all - This is pulled from a past paper - Homework Statement I'm only going to state the components that I find challenging of this problem - The rest will be attached in my solution set. Essentially - given an intrinsic semiconductor comprised of group II-VI elements. Upon doping with group...
13. ### Programs Change of Major from Mechanical Engineering to Material Science

Hello guys, I received an admit to grad school for Mechanical Engineering, where my focus was initially Thermo-Fluids . I've also enquired about the Material Science department at the University(in the USA), and they are willing to let me transfer to the Material Science department provided I...
14. ### I What should be continuous at the interface of two materials?

At the interface between: 1) conductor/conductor 2) conductor/semiconductor (or dielectric) 3) semiconductor/semiconductor (or dielectric/dielectric) What quantity should be continuous? Is it the electrochemical potential, only the chemical potential or is it the electric potential? Since they...
15. ### Do carriers move across a p-n junction at 0 K?

Often a band diagram is used to explain what happens when two pieces of the same semiconductor, one p-doped, one n-doped, are put together. I am a little confused about it, so here is my question. Initially and at ##0\mathrm{K}##, the surplus carriers should be confined to their respective...
16. ### I Fluorescence from core shell quantum dots

What is the reason for enhancement in the intensity of emission due to the introduction of a shell in quantum dots? I do understand the blue shift in quantum dots but how does a shell enhance it?
17. ### B What is the utility of grounding in this Transistor case?

I am attending an online lecture course on semiconductor physics. While explaining the common emitter mode of transistors, the professor sketched this diagram on the board: (I added something more to explain better) I understand that the emitter has to be at the same potential, and that is...
18. ### I Transport in PV Cells (and pn diodes)

Hi, I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around some of the concepts and language of charge transport in Photovoltaic cells (and thus pn-diodes). My biggest problem is understanding the role played by the emitter region vs. the depletion region. In a typical PV cell the front emitter...