Semiconductor Notation: P-Type, N-Type Band Gap Materials

[radaballer]

If you research the materials semiconductors are made of you will find things such as aluminum gallium arsenide. How do you determine what the p-type and n-type are made of? Shouldn't there be a structural difference in order to create band gap?

 

[Simon Bridge]

You want to avoid differences to the geometric structure if you can - or you get cracks and flaws in the crystal that mess up the electronics.

To make a specific type of semiconductor you start with the base crystal and then dope it.
The odd mixtures come from trying out different combinations and crystal growth techniques.

 

[ModusPwnd]

Most may want to avoid differences in geometric structure. My graduate research was about purposefully introducing differences in structure and exploring the novel characteristics that resulted. But then, our material no longer technically qualified as a "crystal".

To be clear, nothing I or my group was making was a commercial product. It was science, not engineering. :p

 

[Simon Bridge]

Neat - my graduate research was exactly the opposite - combining crystals with almost the same lattice constant and exploring the novel stuff that happened :)