ELEKTRONIKOS PAGRINDAI 2008 1 CHARGE CARRIERS IN SEMICONDUCTORS Objectives: • Discovery of the nature of charge carriers in intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors • Finding on what, how and why densities of charge carriers in semiconductors depend • Calculation methods of of charge carrier densities in semiconductors Content: Charge carriers in intrinsic semiconductors Nature of charge carriers Fermi level in an intrinsic semiconductor Densities of carriers Charge carriers in extrinsic semiconductors n-type semiconductors p-type semiconductors Compensation doping Excess carriers and lifetime VGTU EF ESK
[email protected] ELEKTRONIKOS PAGRINDAI 2008 2 Nature of charge carriers in intrinsic semiconductors Carefully refined semiconductors are called intrinsic semiconductors. In a silicon crystal each atom is surrounded by four neighbour atoms. At 0 K all valence electrons take part in covalent bonding and none are free to move through the crystal. At very low temperatures the valence band is full (filled to capacity) and the conduction band is completely empty. Thus, at a very low temperature (close to 0 K) the crystal behaves as an insulator. As the temperature increases, the lattice vibrations arise. Some of the energy of the lattice vibrations is transferred to the valence electrons. If sufficient energy is given to an electron, it leaves a bond and becomes free. VGTU EF ESK
[email protected] ELEKTRONIKOS PAGRINDAI 2008 3 Nature of charge carriers in intrinsic semiconductors The jump of an electron from the valence band to the conduction band corresponds to the release of an electron from covalent bonding. The minimum energy required for that is equal to the width of the forbidden band.