Semiconductor Fundamentals

Semiconductors
Electrical properties can be tailored to make it more or less conducting.

Periodic Table
Si and Ge are in Col IV of the periodic table. Si is the most commonly used semiconductor Semiconductors can also be made from alloys of element from Col III and Col V (e.g. GaAs), and alloys of elements from Col II and Col VI (e.g. ZnSe, CdTe)

Jun P. Flores

Semiconductor Fundamentals
Band Gap
Energy of electrons in a periodic crystal structure is quantized. There is a forbidden gap of energies which the carriers cannot have. The Band gap determines many of the important electrical properties of the semiconductor. e.g. Eg (Si) = 1.12eV, Eg (Ge) = 0.66eV

E Electron energy increasing

Ec Ev
x

E Hole energy increasing

Ec Ev
x 2

Jun P. Flores

Semiconductor Fundamentals
Free Carriers
There are two types of carriers, electrons and holes. Some of these carriers that have enough thermal Energy to surpass the band gap. Hence they are called free carriers. These carriers take part in current conduction under an applied field.

Jun P. Flores

Semiconductor Fundamentals
Undoped Semiconductors
Another name for Intrinsic semiconductor, one that has no dopant At RT, there are certain number of free carriers due to the thermal energy and # of free electrons = # of free holes ni = 1.5e10 #/cm 3 at RT (300K) = intrinsic carrier concentration ni2 = kT 3 e -Eg/kT FYI, Si atomic density is 5x10 22 atom/cm3 n p = ni2 -- (except for excessively high doping density)

Jun P. Flores

Semiconductor Fundamentals
Doped Semiconductors
N Type (doped with P, As, Sb - Col V elements)
Doping of Si with these elements creates more free electrons. These elements are called Donar atoms since they donate an electron. ND >> N A in N Type semiconductors

P Type (doped with B - Col III elements)

Doping of Si with these elements creates more free holes. These elements are called Acceptor atoms since they accept an electron. NA >> N D in P Type semiconductors

Jun P. Flores

Semiconductor Fundamentals
Terminology
ni = Intrinsic Carrier Concentration NA = P type Doping density ND = N type Doping density nn = electron concentration in the N Type semiconductor np = electron concentration in the P type semiconductor pn = hole concentration in the N Type semiconductor pp = hole concentration in the P type semiconductor ND = 1x10 15 #/cm 3 , what is the hole concentration ? nn p n = n i2 ND pn = n i2 hence pn = (1.5x10 10 )2 /1x1015 = 2.25x10 5 holes/cm3
6

Example

Jun P. Flores