SEMICODUCTOR

DEVICES
TNTRUNIC AND EXTRINSIC
SEMICONDUCTORS

Semiconductor Material: The term conductors

is applied to any material that support a
generous glow of charge when a voltage
source of limited magnitude is applied across
its terminals.
An insulator is a material that offers a very
low level of conductivity under pressure from
an applied voltage source.
A semiconductor, therefore is a material that
has a conductivity level some where between
the extremes of an insulator and a conductor.
In a semiconductor current is carried by two
types of carries electrons and holes whereas in
metals current is only by electrons. Silicon
(Si) and Germanium (Ge) are the two most
commonly used electronic device material.
Each atoms of Si or Ge forms four covalent
bonds with four nearest neighbouring atoms
by sharing of valance electrons opposite spin.
because of this formation of covalent bonds
the valance electrons are not available and the
crystal behaves as perfect insulator. However
at room temperature ( 300K)a few of the
electrons acquire sufficient kinetic energy
from thermal agitation and break their
covalent bonds and conduction is made
possible. When an electron escape from
covalent bond an electron vacancy is created
in the bond and such an incomplete bond is
called a hole. the may behave like a positively
charged particle in the conduction of
electricity.

Intrinsic semiconductor materials: