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Physical Electronics PRACTICE QUESTIONS Sheet

This document contains 43 practice questions about physical electronics concepts including crystalline and amorphous solids, crystal structures, crystal defects, electron drift velocity, relaxation time, density of states function, Fermi energy, Fermi-Dirac distribution, energy bands in solids, intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, and p-n junctions. The questions cover topics such as crystal lattices, unit cells, band theory, Fermi statistics, and semiconductor device physics.

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Hosea Muchiri
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770 views3 pages

Physical Electronics PRACTICE QUESTIONS Sheet

This document contains 43 practice questions about physical electronics concepts including crystalline and amorphous solids, crystal structures, crystal defects, electron drift velocity, relaxation time, density of states function, Fermi energy, Fermi-Dirac distribution, energy bands in solids, intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, and p-n junctions. The questions cover topics such as crystal lattices, unit cells, band theory, Fermi statistics, and semiconductor device physics.

Uploaded by

Hosea Muchiri
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PHYSICAL ELECTRONICS PRACTICE QUESTIONS.

1. Distinguish between crystalline solids and amorphous solids.


2. Define crystal lattice, basis and crystal structure
3. Define crystal lattice, unit cell and primitive cell.
4. Explain simple cubic, body centered and face centered cubic structures.
5. Explain the term Miller indices. What is their role in crystal structure? Give the
important features of Miller indices.

6. Draw crystal planes having Miller indices (l l l), (l l 0) and (2 l l).


7. What are crystal imperfections and how they affect properties of crystals? Explain
point defect.
8. What is crystal defect? How does it arise? Explain effect of point defect and line
defect on properties of crystals.

9. Explain edge and screw dislocations with neat diagrams.


10. Find the drift velocity of free electrons in a copper wire of cross-sectional area 10
mm3 when the wire carries a current of 100 A. Assume that each copper atom
contributes one electron to the free electron gas. Density of copper is 8969 kg/m 3 and
its atomic weight is 63.54.

11. Find the relaxation time of conduction electrons in a metal if its resistivity is 1.54 ×
10–8Wm and it has 5.8 × 1028 conduction electrons/m3.

12. Z(E) is called the density of states function. Define Z(E) and discuss how Z(E)
relates to E when plotted versus each other. That is, Z(E) versus E at T = 0 and at Z(E)
versus E at a much higher temperature.

13. Calculate the Fermi energy of sodium at 0K assuming that it has one free electron
per atom and density of sodium is 970 kg/m3 and atomic weight 23.

14. Describe Fermi-Dirac distribution and discuss the same for different temperature
conditions.
15. Why is that only the electrons near the Fermi level contribute to electrical
conductivity?
16. The density of silver is 10.5 × 103 kg/m3. The atomic weight of silver is 107.9.
Assuming that each silver atom provides one conduction electron (i) calculate the
density of free electrons. The conductivity of silver at 20°C is 6.8 × 107 ohm–1m–1. (ii)
Calculate the electron mobility in silver.
18. Explain Fermi energy and Fermi factor. Discuss the variation of Fermi factor with
temperature and energy.

19. Evaluate the Fermi function for energy KT above the Fermi energy 20. In a solid,
consider the energy level lying 0.01 eV below Fermi level. What is the probability of this
level not being occupied by an electron?
21. The Fermi level for potassium is 2.1 eV. Calculate the velocity of the electrons at the
Fermi level.

22. Find the temperature at which there is 1% probability that a state with energy 2 eV is
occupied. Given that Fermi energy is 1.5 eV.

23. Show that the probability of finding an electron of energy ΔE above the Fermi level
is same as probability of not finding an electron at energy ΔE below the Fermi level.
OR
Show that the probability that a state ΔE above the Fermi level EF is filled equals the
probability that a state ΔE below EF is empty.

24. Show that the occupancy probabilities of two states whose energies are equally
spaced above and below the Fermi energy add up to one.

25. Describe the formation of energy bands in a crystalline solid. Define valence band,
conduction band and forbidden gap in the energy band structure. Hence classify solids
into conductors, semiconductors and insulators. Explain formation of energy bands in
solids on the basis of band theory of solids.

26. a) Discuss with suitable mathematical expressions, the motion of an electron in a


periodic potential. (b) Explain how the above theory leads to the concept of band
structure of solids.

27. Describe in short, the formation of energy bands in solids and hence explain how it
helps to classify the materials into conductors, semiconductors and insulators (with an
example in each).

28. According to band theory, a completely filled or empty band is not associated with
electrical conduction. Only partially filled band is responsible for electrical conduction.
Explain, why?

29. Write down the Fermi-Dirac equation for the probability of occupation of an energy
level E by an electron. Show that the probability of its occupancy by an electron is zero
if E > EF and unity if E < EF at temperature 0K.

30. The forbidden gap in pure silicon is 1.1 eV. Compare the number of conduction
electrons at temperatures 37°C and 27°C.
31. Compute the concentration of intrinsic charge carriers in a germanium crystal at 300
K. Given that Eg = 0.72 eV and assume me* = me.

32. Estimate the fraction of electrons in the conduction band at 300°K of (i) Germanium
(Eg = 0.72 eV) (ii) Silicon (Eg = 1.1 eV) and (iii) Diamond (Eg = 5.6 eV) What is the
significance of these results?

33. Determine the position of Fermi level in silicon semiconductor at 300 K. Given that
the band gap is 1.12 eV, and me * = 0.12 m and mh* = 0.28m.

36. Silicon has a conductivity of only 5 × 10-4 W-1m-1 in its pure form. An engineer
wanted it to have conductivity of 200 W-1m-1 and doped it with aluminum to produce p-
type semiconductor. Calculate the impurity concentration. Assume mh=0.05 m2/V.s.

37. A sample of intrinsic silicon at room temperature has a carrier concentration of 1.5 ×
1016/m3. A donor impurity is added to the extent of 1 donor atom per 108 atoms of
silicon. If the concentration of silicon atoms is 5 × 1028atoms/m3, determine the
resistivity of the material. (Given me=0.135 m2/V. s and mh=0.048 m2/V. s)

38. Derive an expression for Fermi energy in intrinsic semiconductor. What is the effect
of temperature on Fermi level in an intrinsic semiconductor?

39. Explain in brief the concept of Fermi level. Derive an expression for Fermi energy in
intrinsic semiconductor. What is the effect of temperature on Fermi level in an intrinsic
semiconductor? Draw a neat energy band diagram of intrinsic semiconductor at 0 K and
at room temperature.

40. Calculate the potential barrier for a germanium pn junction at room temperature, if
both the p- and n-regions are doped equally and to the extent of one atom per 10 6
germanium atoms.

41. Current flowing in a p-n junction is 0.2 mA at room temperature when a large
reverse bias voltage is applied. Calculate the current when a forward bias of 0.1 V is
applied.

42. What causes majority carriers to flow at the moment when p-region and n-region are
brought together? Why does this flow not continue until all the carriers have
recombined?

43. Draw neat energy band diagrams for symmetrically doped p-n junction when it is (i)
Unbiased, (ii) Forward biased and (iii) Reverse biased.

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