Carrier transport in a semiconductor

The carrier transport in a semiconductor is due to two

mechanisms called drift and diffusion.

• Drift – When an electric filed is applies to a semiconductor,

the electrons will move with a velocity called drift velocity and
the current due to drift is known as drift current.
• Diffusion- Diffusion motion is due to gradient in carrier
concentration i.e., electron will move from a higher
concentration to lower concentration region.
 Drift
• The electrons in semiconductor experiences two
forces when apply electric field

1. Force due to Electric field – accelerating force

2. Force due to Collison – decelerating force
• In a semiconductor, the thermal motion of individual electrons at
room temperature is due to the random scattering from the lattice
vibrations, impurities, atoms, other electrons or defects.
• Since the scattering is random, there is no net motion of a group of
n electrons/cm3 in a given time.
• In random motion, the probability of an electron to return back to
its initial position is negligible.
• If we consider a group of n electrons, there is no preferred
direction of motion and hence no net current flow.
• Consider a semiconductor in which an electric field Ex is applied
in the x-direction.
• Each electron in the group experiences a net force of -q.Ex from
the external field.
• Thus the group of electrons travel with a net average velocity in
the –x direction. This mean velocity is called as the drift velocity.
• In steady state, the continuous acceleration of the electrons in the
–x direction is just balanced by the deceleration due to collision.
• In order to get the total rate of change of momentum from
collisions, the collision probability for each electron has to be
considered. If the collision is purely random, then it will be a
constant.
• At t = 0, the number of electrons left unscattered is
equal to the total electron concentration when t=0.
• As time elapses, the concentration of un scattered electrons
decreases exponentially.
Equilibrium and Steady state conditions
Conductivity and Mobility
Diffusion of carriers

• Diffusion is the process of transport of charges due to the

difference in the carrier concentration in the semi conductor
material.
• Since the excess carriers are generated non uniformly in a
semiconductor, the carrier concentration vary with the position in
the semiconductor sample.
• The spatial variation or gradient of charge carriers in the sample
cause the net motion of charge carriers.
• The carrier motion is from region of higher concentration to
region of lower concentration.
• This motion of charge carriers due to gradient of concentration
is called as the diffusion and the current through the material due
to diffusive motion is called the diffusion current.
• eg: open a bottle of perfume
• Consider a pulse of excess electrons injected at x=0 at time
t=0. Initially the electrons are concentrated at x=0 and as time
elapses, the injected carriers at x=0 will spread out in the
material.
• This is because the electrons diffuse to the region of low
concentration until the concentration becomes uniform
throughout and the concentration n(x) becomes constant.
Diffusion current
• Consider an arbitrary distribution of electron n(x). Divide x
into small segments of length (mean free path) with n(x)
evaluated at the centre of each segment.
• Mean free path is defined as the distance in which the electron
can travel without any collision with other electrons or the
lattice.
• Mean free time is defined as the time for which the electrons
can travel without having any collision.
• In mean free time, half of the electrons in segment 1 will cross
distance x0 and move into segment 2 and vice versa.
Total current in a semiconductor: If an external electric field is also present along with the
concentration gradient, the total current in a semiconductor is the sum of drift and diffusion
currents due to electrons as well as holes.
•
• Inferences :
• Drift current is proportional to the carrier concentration. Therefore
the drift current due to majority carriers will be significant and the
drift current due to minority carriers will be negligible.
• Diffusion current is proportional to the concentration gradient. So
the magnitude of diffusion current can be high if the concentration
gradient is high. Note that the diffusion current due to minority
carriers can be as high as the current due to majority carriers
depending on the concentration gradient.
• Einstein relation
• Einstein equation gives the relation between diffusion constant
and mobility of electrons as well as holes.
• Consider an external electric field E(x) applied in the positive x-
direction to a semiconductor material.
• The electrostatic potential at any point is defined as the amount of
work done to bring a negative charge from infinity to that point.
• Thus more work has to be done to bring an electron from infinity
to the negative point of the external field. This increases the
potential energy of electrons in that region. This results in a tilt in
the energy band diagram.
• This relationship is referred to as the Einstein Relation. It states
that the ratio of diffusion coefficient to mobility for both electrons
and holes are equal under thermal equilibrium and is equal to the
volt equivalent of temperature
Continuity Equation
• The continuity equation is used to determine the distribution of charge
carriers in a semiconductor.
• The temporal (with respect to time) and spatial (with respect to space)
variation of charge carriers can be included in the continuity equation.
• The effect of recombination must also be included in the conduction
process due to diffusion of charge carriers.
Consider a semiconductor with
differential length Δx and area A
in the y-z plane.
The hole current density leaving the
volume i.e., Jp(x+Δx) can be larger
or smaller than the hole current density
entering the volume i.e., Jp(x).
This depends on the rate of
Generation and recombination
of carriers within the volume.
•
Steady state carrier injection and diffusion length
• Consider a semiconductor bar in which the excess carriers are
introduced at a point x=0. The steady state injection of holes
maintains the constant excess carrier concentration at that point.

• The injected holes diffuse through the bar and recombine with a
carrier life time τp or we can say that the carrier will recombine
only after the period τp. In steady state condition, the excess
carrier concentration decays to zero for large values of x i.e., as x
tends to infinity.
• The diffusion length Lp is the
distance at which the excess hole
distribution is reduced to times
the value at the point of injection i.e.,
at x=0.