Solid materials are classified according to its electric conductivity into 3 types:

Insulators: No free electrons. E.g. wood, plastic, oxide (SiO2).

Conductors: Abundance of free electrons, small resistance. E.g. metals.
Semi-Conductor: few free electrons but have large resistance

* Resistivity can be changed by adding certain impurities (dopants).

* Resistivity responds for temperature.

Energy Band:

When energy bands are brought together to form a solid, the energy levels in these atoms
will interact and form energy bands.

* The outermost energy band filled with electrons is called: Valance Band.

* The next band is called Conduction Band where electrons in this band are free to
move.

* An electron needs Eg to jump from the valance band to the conduction band.

Ec

Eg

Ev

* The lowest energy level in conduction band is Ec.

* The highest energy level in the valance band is Ev ( Eg = Ec- Ev ) .

* For insulators Eg> 2 eV . (Electron volt: energy required to move an electron between 1
V potential differences. (1.6*10 -19 joules).

* For Semi-conductors: 0 < Eg < 2 ev .

*For metals : Eg < 0. Valance and conduction band over lap.

Semi Conductors:

When an electron jumps from the valance band to the conduction band it leaves a
vacancy (hole) in its place. This hole is positive charged and is free to move in the
valance band.

* Because of the crystal structure of semi conductor when an electric field is applied free
electrons move opposite to the field while holes move a long the field. The resulting
current add up (J = Jn+Jp) .

Intrensic and Extrensic Semiconductors:

* Pure semi conductors are called intrinsic

* Electron concentration n=== Hole concentration p === intrinsic concentration ni
.
* ni is a constant that depends only on the type of material and temperature (T), as T
increase ni increase.

Electron and Hole Mobility:

Mobility is a constant that determine how fast electrons or holes will process for a certain
electric field

n p

= electron mobility.
n

= hole mobility.
p

= speed.

= electric field.
* (Mobility) depends on the type of material, temperature and impurity concentration.
As the temperature increase the mobility decrease also as the impurities increase the
mobility decrease.

(For Si = 2-3 )
n p

Resistivity and Conductivity:

* Conductivity ( ) :

n qn n n qp p

* Resitivity ( ) :

n n

* Resistance:

L
R
H *W

Extrinsic Semiconductors:

* Certain impurities are added to semi conductors to increase n or p:

Donor Atoms (Donates an electron) would increase n (e.g. P and As) and become
positive, the martial is called N-type semiconductor (n>p).

Acceptor Atoms (accept an electron) would increase p (e.g. B and Au) and become
negative, the material is called P-type semiconductor. (p>n).

Mass action law :

np ni2
* Charge concentration law:

ve ch arg es ve ch arg es
p ND n N A
N D = donor concentration.
N A = acceptors concentration.

* For N-type material, N D > N A , n>>p n = N D - N A == net donor

concentration
n2 1 1
p i , n >> p , = .
n n p n

* For p-type material, N A > N D , p>>n p = N A - N D == net acceptors

concentration
ni2 1 1
n , p >> n , = .
p n p p