Actually what is the meaning of the holes

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of "holes" in the context of solid state physics and semiconductor devices. Participants are exploring the nature of holes in the valence band and their relationship to electrons in the conduction band, with a focus on understanding their movement and significance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about the meaning of holes in the valence band, suggesting that they are related to the movement of electrons to the conduction band.
  • Another participant proposes that a "hole" in the valence shell is a positron, though this statement lacks further elaboration.
  • A different participant describes holes as vacancies in the electronic energy states or bands, using an analogy of air bubbles in water to illustrate their behavior as objects with positive charge and mass.
  • Links to additional resources on electron hole theory interpretations are shared by another participant, indicating a desire for further exploration of the topic.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus on the definition and implications of holes in the valence band, with multiple interpretations and analogies presented. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the precise nature and behavior of holes.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the definitions of holes and their behavior in semiconductor physics may be missing, and the discussion reflects varying levels of understanding among participants.

tiantsai
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Hi,i am the new member of physics forum.Today we are having the solid state physics and semiconductors devices courses and the lecturer say something about electron in conduction band and the holes in the valence band in the semiconductor but we cannot really know what the holes is in the valence band...we thought the holes is the things that occurs when electron conduct or excited to conduction band and it is fix :eek: but my proffessor say that both electrons and holes can move...we so blur that times actually what is the meaning of holes...
 
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I don't want to explain it b/c someone else could probably do a better job, but a "hole" in the valence shell is a positron
 
tiantsai said:
Hi,i am the new member of physics forum.Today we are having the solid state physics and semiconductors devices courses and the lecturer say something about electron in conduction band and the holes in the valence band in the semiconductor but we cannot really know what the holes is in the valence band...we thought the holes is the things that occurs when electron conduct or excited to conduction band and it is fix :eek: but my proffessor say that both electrons and holes can move...we so blur that times actually what is the meaning of holes...

Holes are vacancies in the electronic energy state or bands.

Think of holes as air bubbles in water. The reason why they are useful is because you can then "renormalize" your word so that the background water becomes the "vacuum", and the bubbles now become the object or the matter in that new world. Now, all you need to do is consider the dynamics and the physical state of that bubble, and you have described your system. This prevents you from having to describe all that water instead (which is a lot more complicated since there's plenty of them).

So in the semiconductor system, in the conduction band (where there's a lot of empty states or holes as the "background"), you use the electrons as your "objects". In the valence band, where there's plenty of electrons as your background, you now use the holes as your "objects" to describe your system. When you do that, these holes now behave as objects with positive charge and mass.

Zz.
 
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