2012

Electronic Devices & Circuits

Equilibrium Carrier Concentration
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Basic Concepts 1) Types of Semiconductors 2) Thermal Equilibrium & Steady State 3) Wave-Particle Duality

Manvendr Singh Learners Bay

9/6/2012

Before we go for the classification of Semiconductors, it is important to state right at the outset that we will be considering the concentration in the Semiconductor Bulk. Bulk

Interface

The Interface is excluded from the bulk because it will be affected by the properties of the surface.

1. Types of Semiconductors

Elemental/Simple

Compound

Semiconductor

Pure

Intrinsic

Extrinsic

 Elemental /Simple SemiconductorOne type of compound is regularly repeated. Example- Silicon (Si), Germanium (Ge)

Compound SemiconductorAtoms of more than one element are used. Example- GaAs, GaInAs, InP

Pure Semiconductor (100% pure)No impurity or defect (Perfect Crystalline Solid) and it has no disruption in periodicity. It is Impossible to obtain practically.

Intrinsic SemiconductorThey are not totally pure, there may be some small amount of defects or impurities but the concentration of electrons & holes would be the same as that of pure semiconductor. The effect of one type of impurity compensates the effect of another type of impurity so as the concentration remains same as that of the pure semiconductor.

Extrinsic SemiconductorAnything which is not intrinsic is called Extrinsic. Impurities and defects will be present & the concentration of electrons & holes will not be same as under equilibrium conditions.

Note:Doped Semiconductor is definitely an extrinsic semiconductor unless the doping is of two different impurities with compensating effects than, in that case it will become intrinsic semiconductor. So, it is obvious that extrinsic semiconductor is more complex than the intrinsic semiconductor.

2. Thermodynamic/Thermal Equilibrium
In physics, there is a philosophy which is generally followed for modeling complex situations and that is, you treat a complex situation (real life situation) as deviation from an Idealized situation, which can be treated very simply by mathematics. We will understand this with a very simple Analogy, Assume that someone asks you the address of a place, then you do not tell him directly the distance of the desired location from the place where you are standing, but you tell him a nearer landmark to the location. The landmark is the convenient idealized situation which is approximately equal to the real model. We try to model the idealized situation and then we introduce a small disturbance & try to model the complex situation. Thermal equilibrium is a convenient idealized condition which is very difficult to achieve in practice. Many phenomena that we encounter can be modeled by deviations from the thermal equilibrium. Have you ever heard of Quasi-Equilibrium? It is a term which is attached to the device analysis for modeling. It simply means a small deviation from the equilibrium condition. Definition of Thermal Equilibrium A semiconductor is said to be in thermal equilibrium with its environment if any & every process that may be going on between the semiconductor & the environment there is a inverse process going on at the same rate. This also applies for the processes within the semiconductor.

Semiconductor Semiconductor in eqm with environment.

It is also called Principle of Detailed Balance. (Explained in video) Therefore, a semiconductor is in thermal equilibrium if:

a). No external excitation other than temperature. b). No net motion of charge or energy. Some examples of Non-Equilibrium for better understanding, Example I:

T1

T2 [Assuming (T1 > T2) ]

Example II: Light falling on a semiconductor.

(Light Rays)

Photons are absorbed & there is no inverse process like the semiconductor giving out light that means, If a semiconductor is visible than it is not in equilibrium (eqm). Example III: Applying Electric Field across a semiconductor.

Condition (a) is not fulfilled.

Conclusion: -Semiconductor devices are only useful under non-eqm conditions. -You cant get anything out of a device if it is under eq m.