Introduction to Semiconductor Physics

Objectives

• Become aware of the general characteristics of three important semiconductor

materials: Si, Ge, GaAs.
• Understand conduction using electron and hole theory.
• Be able to describe the difference between n - and p -type materials.

2
 Introduction

ELECTRONICS
• Its is the science of controlling electrical energy electrically, in which the electrons
have a fundamental role.
• Deals with electrical circuits that involve active electrical components such as vacuum
tubes, transistors, diodes, integrated circuits, optoelectronics, and sensors.
• Widely used in information processing, telecommunications, and signal processing.

3
 Introduction

Branches of Electronics:
• Digital Electronics
• Analog Electronics
• Microelectronics
• Circuit Design
• Integrated Circuits
• Optoelectronics
• Semiconductor Devices
• Embedded Systems

4
 Introduction

• 1900s – Thermionic (Vacuum Tube) Diodes and Solid-State diodes as radio receiver
detectors
- John Ambrose Fleming, Thermionic Diode
- Robert Von Lieben, Cathode Ray Tube
- Lee de Forest, Triode

5
 Introduction

• 1930s – Researchers at Bell Labs, Western Electric, MIT, Purdue, and in the UK
intensively developed point contact diodes (crystal diodes) for radar

6
 Introduction

• 1947 – First point contact transistor

- William Shockley, Walter Brattain, John Bardeen of Bell Labs
-Used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electric power.

7
 Introduction

• 1958 – Jack Kilby developed the first Integrated Circuit while working at Texas
Instruments

8
 Introduction

• 1965 – Dr. Gordon Moore predicted the growth of transistor count known as Moore’s
Law.

9
 Solid State Fundamentals

• Conductors
• Insulators
• Semiconductors

10
 Conductors

• Conductors are generally substances which have the property to pass

different types of energy.
• The metallic bonding
• Example: Silver, copper, aluminum, iron, mercury, salt water,

11
 Insulators

• Insulators possess no free charge carriers and thus are non-conductive.

• The atomic bond
• The ionic bond
• Examples: Glass, drywood, paper, plastic, Metal oxides, porcelain

12
 Semiconductors

• Semiconductors are solids whose conductivity lies between the

conductivity of conductors and insulators.
• Conductivity increases with increasing temperature.

13
 Semiconductor Materials

• Semiconductors are a special class of elements having a conductivity between that

of a good conductor and that of an insulator.

• Germanium
• Silicon
• Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)
• Cadmium Sulfide (CdS)
• Gallium Nitride (GaN)
• Gallium Arsenide Phosphide (GaAsP)

14
 Semiconductor Materials

• Materials commonly used in the development of semiconductor devices:

• Silicon (Si)
• Germanium (Ge)
• Gallium Arsenide (GaAs)

15
 Semiconductor Materials

Atomic structure: (a) germanium; Covalent bonding of the silicon

(b) silicon. atom.

16
 Intrinsic Semiconductor

• The term intrinsic is applied to any semiconductor material that has been
carefully refined to reduce the number of impurities to a very low level—
essentially as pure as can be made available through modern technology.

17
 Energy Level

Between the discrete energy levels are

gaps in which no electrons in the isolated
atomic structure can appear. As the atoms
of a material are brought closer together to
form the crystal lattice structure, there is
an interaction between atoms that will
result in the electrons in a particular orbit
of one atom having slightly different Discrete levels in isolated atomic
structures
energy levels from electrons in the same
orbit of an adjoining atom.

3/10/2022 18
 Energy Level

The more distant the electron from the nucleus, the higher
the energy state, and any electron that has left its parent atom
has a higher energy state than any electron in the atomic
structure.

19
 Extrinsic Material (n and p – type)

• A semiconductor material that has been subjected to the doping process is

called an extrinsic material.

• The characteristics of a semiconductor material can be altered

significantly by the addition of specific impurity atoms to the relatively
pure semiconductor material.

20
 Doping

The electrical characteristics of silicon and germanium are improved

by adding materials in a process called doping.

There are just two types of doped semiconductor materials:

• n-type
• p-type

• n-type materials contain an excess of conduction band electrons.

• p-type materials contain an excess of valence band holes.

21
 Extrinsic Material

n-Type Material

Both the n- and p-type materials are

formed by adding a predetermined
number of impurity atoms into a
germanium or silicon base. The n-
type is created by introducing those
impurity elements that have five
valence electrons (pentavalent), such
Diffused impurities with five
as antimony, arsenic, and phosphorus. valence electrons are called
donor atoms.

22
 Extrinsic Material

p-Type Material

The p-type material is formed by

doping a pure germanium or silicon
crystal with impurity atoms having
three valence electrons. The
elements most frequently used for
this purpose are boron, gallium, and The diffused impurities with
three valence electrons are
indium. called acceptor atoms.

23
 Electron versus Hole flow

If a valence electron acquires sufficient kinetic energy

to break its covalent bond and fills the void created by
a hole, then a vacancy, or hole, will be created in the
covalent bond that released the electron. There is,
therefore, a transfer of holes to the left and electrons to
the right.

24
 Majority and Minority Carriers

In the intrinsic state, the number of free electrons in Ge or Si is

due only to those few electrons in the valence band that have
acquired sufficient energy from thermal or light sources to break
the covalent bond or to the few impurities that could not be
removed. The vacancies left behind in the covalent bonding
structure represent our very limited supply of holes.

25
 Majority and Minority Carriers

In an n-type material the

electron is called the
majority carrier and the
hole the minority carrier.

26
 Majority and Minority Carriers

In a p-type material the hole

is the majority carrier and
the electron is the minority
carrier.

27
END OF PRESENTATION

ONE HEART.
ONE COMMITMENT.
ONE LIFE.
1719 – 2019
#300LaSalle

28