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Essay / The Difference Between Semiconductor Types
Table of ContentsIntrinsic SemiconductorsExtrinsic and NS-Type SemiconductorsP-Type SemiconductorsP-N JunctionsSemiconductors play a dynamic character in almost every field of technology modern integrated circuits and enable the manufacture of everything from receivers to computers. and microprocessors. The most important applications of semiconductor materials include their use in creating transistors, which are solid-state electronic devices that are the derivative of a wide range of electronic systems and accessories, particularly integrated circuits. . Most semiconductor components and transistors are made of silicon, which is extremely valuable for its distinct electrical structure and is one of the most abundant elements. By changing the electronic arrangement of silicon or similar elements through the involvement of additional particles, it is possible to regulate the conductivity and resistivity levels of a material formed from these elements to create a semiconductor. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay As its name suggests, a semiconductor has a resistivity level between that of a conductor and an insulator. Decent conductors, such as metals, have electrical resistivity values in the lower range of 10 to 6 ohms per centimeter and good insulators have resistivity in the much larger range of 1012 ohms per centimeter. The resistivity of semiconductors is generally between 10-4 and 104 ohms per centimeter. . For semiconductors, resistivity generally depends on the presence of additional particles called dopants that are used to selectively replace atoms in the base semiconductor material to change its electrical properties. Intrinsic Semiconductors An intrinsic semiconductor is in its pure state without any added dopant. Its material contains thermal energy that can release covalent bonds and free electrons to move through a solid mass, thereby increasing electrical conductivity levels. The remaining covalent bonds that have lost their electrons have vacancies that influence the electrical properties of the semiconductor. Electrons from a covalent bond can easily move to a nearby vacancy, creating a hole in the initial covalent bond and restarting the vacancy process. Holes can be said to pass through a semiconductor material, adding to the conductivity by exhibiting the characteristics of a positive charge equal to the magnitude of the electronic charge. Unbonded electrons and holes are the two primary moving electrical charge carriers in a semiconductor and are distinguished by their generation and recombination in equal numbers, as well as their corresponding populations. Extrinsic and Type N Semiconductors Unlike intrinsic, extrinsic, or doped types, semiconductors contain added particles specifically used to change the electrical conductivity properties of a material. In silicon, the most common semiconductor material, each atom shares four valence electrons via covalent bonds with the four nearest atoms. If the silicon atom is replaced by a doping element with five valence electrons, such as phosphorus, four of them will be bound while the fifth will remain free. Those dopants that carry more than four valence electrons are called donors because they provide an influx of free electrons that move through the semiconductor. THE.