Carriers Concentration and Current in Semiconductors:

Carrier Transport

Two driving forces for carrier transport: electric field and spatial variation of the carrier concentration.
Or concentration gradient. Both driving forces lead to a directional motion of carriers superimposed on
the random thermal motion.

Classical Description of Carrier Transport:

Drift Current:

Assume thermal equilibrium for a semiconductor having a spatially homogeneous carrier concentration
with no applied E-field. for directional carrier motion.

The carriers are not in standstill condition but in continuous motion due to kinetic energy. For electron
in the conduction band, where vth is the thermal velocity, mn* is the conductivity effective electron
mass.
3 𝑚𝑛 ∗
𝐸𝑡ℎ = 2 𝑘𝐵 𝑇 = 𝑛
𝑣𝑡ℎ 2

The average time between two scattering events is the mean free time τ and the average distance a
carrier travels between collisions is the mean free path λ. Fig (a)

a) motion without applied field.

b) Applying V, the E-fields adds a directional component to the random motion of the electron.
 The process in which charged particles move because of an electric field is called drift.
Charged particles within a semiconductor move with an average velocity proportional to
the electric field.
– The proportionality constant is the carrier mobility µ

The mean electron velocity(drift velocity) : vn= -μe E

The directed unilateral motion of carriers caused by E-field is drift velocity.

Similarly , vp= μh E
e= electron drift mobility and h= hole drift mobility, E is the electric field

A change in E-field instantaneously results in a change of the drift velocity.

Velocity Saturation:
In reality, carrier velocities saturate at an upper limit, called the saturation velocity (v sat).
0

1  bE
0
vsat 
b
0
v  E
0 E
1
vsat

Also λ = vth τ
For Si at 300 K τ ~ 10-14 to 10-15 s vth ~ 10 7 cm/s λ ~ 1 to 10 nm
𝑞𝜏
µe,h = cm2/v-s
2𝑚 𝑒,ℎ ∗

Now mobility µ depends on τ and m* and also on doping

If τ increases i.e longer time between collisions ----- µ increases

If m* decreases i.e lighter particle ------- µ increases

For same doping level e > h

Drift current density: Jdrift

Net velocity of charged particles gives electric current:

Drift current density is proportional carrier drift velocity, carrier concentration and carrier charge

Jdrift = charge x concentration x drift velocity

= q n vd= qn μE

electron drift velocity Jndrift = -qn vn = qn μe E

electron drift velocity Jpdrift = qp vn = qp μh E

both current densities have same direction

Total drift current J drift= Jndrift + Jpdrift

= qn μe E + qp μh E

J drift = q E (n μe + p μh)

J = σ E = E /ρ

Has the shape of ohm’s law

where

Then

Resistivity commonly used to specify doping level.

• In n-type semiconductor:

In p-type semiconductor:

Carrier Diffusion:

Due to thermally induced random motion, mobile particles tend to move from a
region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.

Analogy: ink droplet in water

Current flow due to mobile charge diffusion is proportional to the carrier

concentration gradient.

The proportionality constant is the diffusion constant.

Diffusion current density = charge × carrier flux

For holes

dp
J p ,diff  qD p
dx

For electrons

dn
J n,diff  qDn
dx
Dp  hole diffusion constant (cm2/s)

Dn  electron diffusion constant (cm2/s)

D measures the ease of carrier diffusion in response to a concentration gradient:

D limited by vibrating lattice atoms and ionized dopants.

Total diffusion current:

 dn dp
J tot,diff  q( Dn  Dp )
dx dx

The total current flowing in a semiconductor is the sum of drift current and
diffusion current:

And

The Einstein Relation:

At the core of diffusion and drift is same physics: collisions among particles and
medium atoms) there should be a relationship between D and μ

Einstein relation
D kT

 q
In semiconductors:

kT
• Note that  26mV at room temperature (300K)
q
– This is often referred to as the “thermal voltage”.