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Semiconductors: Definition

Semiconductors are materials whose conductivity is between conductors and insulators. Their conductivity can be controlled by adding impurities, making them useful for electronic devices. The most common semiconductors are silicon and germanium. Semiconductors are classified as intrinsic, made of pure silicon or germanium; or extrinsic, made by doping intrinsic semiconductors with impurities to create P-type or N-type materials. Diodes are basic semiconductor devices that allow current to pass in only one direction, and are used as rectifiers in power supplies. Transistors are also important semiconductor devices.

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116 views3 pages

Semiconductors: Definition

Semiconductors are materials whose conductivity is between conductors and insulators. Their conductivity can be controlled by adding impurities, making them useful for electronic devices. The most common semiconductors are silicon and germanium. Semiconductors are classified as intrinsic, made of pure silicon or germanium; or extrinsic, made by doping intrinsic semiconductors with impurities to create P-type or N-type materials. Diodes are basic semiconductor devices that allow current to pass in only one direction, and are used as rectifiers in power supplies. Transistors are also important semiconductor devices.

Uploaded by

Mark Lawrence Bael
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Semiconductors

Definition:

-The substances whose conductivity lies in between conductors and insulators are called as semiconductors.

-Semiconductors are “part-time” conductors whose conductivity can be controlled.

-Semiconductor is a good insulator nor a good conductor makes semiconductors useful for controlling electric
current.

Examples:

-Silicon is the most common material used to build semiconductor devices. Silicon is spun and grown into
a crystalline structure and cut into wafers to make electronic devices. Atoms in a pure silicon wafer
contains four electrons in outer orbit. Germanium is also a semiconductor material with four valence
electrons.

Terms to remember:

Types:

The type is depending on the relative concentration of holes and electrons. The semiconductors are

classified into two types, which is intrinsic semiconductor, and extrinsic semiconductor.

Intrinsic Semiconductor: The semiconductor which is pure and having the number of electrons in CB
equal to number of holes in VB is called as intrinsic semiconductor.

Examples: pure silicon and pure germanium crystals

When small quantities of selected impurities are added to an intrinsic semiconductor it becomes an
extrinsic semiconductor. Depending upon the type of impurity extrinsic semiconductors are of two types,
namely

1. P – type semiconductor.

2. N – type semiconductor.

Application:

Diode:

-2 lead semiconductor that acts as a one way gate to electron flow. Diode allows current to pass in only
one direction.

pn-junction
-formed by joining together n-type and p-type silicon.

-The p-side is called anode and the n-side is called cathode.

How diode works:

Forward-biased (“open door”)

-When a diode is connected to a battery, electrons from the n-side and holes from the p-side are forced
toward the center by the electrical field supplied by the battery. When electrons and holes are combined
it causes the current to pass through the diode.

* It requires to have a voltage of 0.6V or greater. Otherwise, the diode will not conduct.

Reversed-biased (“close door”)

Application:
Half wave rectifier:

Full wave rectifier:

TRANSISTORS:

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