Electronic Devices

(ECE F214)
Lecture – 12

Excess Charge Carriers in Semiconductor

Dr. Manish Gupta

Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
BITS-Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
Content

❑ Quasi Fermi Level

❑ Fermi Level in In-homogeneous Semiconductor

❑ Diffusion Process

❑ Total Current Density in a Semiconductor

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Quasi Fermi Level
• Fermi level is useful to describe the device characteristics when
no external stimulus is present

• Quasi Fermi level (Fn and Fp): It is the steady state analogues of
the equilibrium Fermi level EF in the presence of external stimulus.

• The deviation of Fn and Fp from EF how far the electron and hole
concentration from the equilibrium values i.e. n0 and p0

• At equilibrium, Fn = Fp = EF

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Fermi Level in Inhomogeneous
Semiconductor

Rate of transfer of electrons from material 1 to material 2

Rate of transfer of electrons from material 2 to material 1

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Fermi Level in Inhomogeneous
Semiconductor

The above equation will only valid if

Or EF1 = EF2
Thus, at equilibrium, fermi level must be constant throughout the
material.

The constant EF implies that

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Diffusion Process

• It is the process of transfer of molecules/particles/electrons/holes

from higher concentration to lower concentration

• It is natural response resulting from the random motion

• The net diffusion process will continue as long as gradient exist

• It is one of the important process in semiconductor devies

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Diffusion Process
• Assume that a pulse of
electrons injected at x = 0
and at t = 0

• As time passes, electrons

diffuses to the regions of low
electron concentration

• The process continues, until

electron concentration i.e.
n(x) becomes constant

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Diffusion Process

• Assuming n(x) is any arbitrary distribution of electron concentration

• The distribution is divided into small rectangular segments of

(mean free path)

• n(x) is evaluated at the center of each segment

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Diffusion Process

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Diffusion Process

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Diffusion Process

Or Electron flux density (per unit area) crossing x0

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Diffusion Process

BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus

Diffusion Process

• Dn is called the electron diffusion coefficient (cm2/sec) =

• Negative sign in flux expression indicates decrease in concentration

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Total Current Density

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Thank you

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