What is a Semi Conductor?
The most basic definition of a semiconductor would be an electrical component which conducts electricity part of the time. Electricity is an essential part of our everyday lives and it is present virtually everywhere. In every home there are appliances, television sets, satellite systems and a wide variety of smaller items which run off of electricity. In order for these items to operate electricity has to reach them through wires that allow electricity to flow through them. A conductor is simply a material that has the ability to conduct this needed electricity. Semiconductors also conduct electricity, but only to an extent less than regular conductors. The amount of electricity that is conducted depends on the type of material that is used as well as its mixture and size. Semiconductors are made of special materials that allow intermediate conductivity between an insulator and a conductor. This just means that it has some very unique physical properties that are somewhere between insulators like glass and aluminum like conductors. A process termed “doping” is used to add impurities to pure semiconductors which literally changes the material’s conductivity.
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What makes semiconductors important?
In order to understand how important the job of semiconductors is, it is important to understand the basic difference between electronics and electricity. Both of these are in ways affiliated with electrical energy and they can generate, transfer and utilize it. The primary difference between these two is that electricity is basically concerned with using electrical energy in real life applications such as lighting, heating or motors. Electronics, on the other hand is primarily concerned with applications such as power control or communication. Examples of electronic devices include thermostats, radios, or electric motor speed controls. The real importance of a semiconductor is that they can be both insulators and conductors. A semiconductor can be used in the capacity of a conductor, or an insulator. Varying conditions can affect a semiconductor’s conductivity. When several different types of semiconductors are combined they can generate special electrical properties in various devices by allowing the control of specific electrical signals. Semiconductors are frequently used when manufacturing electronic devices as well as integrated circuits.
Various Types of Semiconductors
There are two basic categories of semiconductors: Extrinsic and Intrinsic. Intrinsic semiconductors are made of very pure materials and therefore they make very poor conductors. The intrinsic semiconductors have an equal number of negative and positive carriers called electrons and holes respectively. Am extrinsic semiconductor is one in which conductivity is improved by the adding of impurities, the doping process. Doping can produce two different categories of semiconductors: negative charge (n-type) or positive charge (p-type). Semiconductors are available as either a compound or an element. The most common and basic semiconductors are silicon and Germanium. Both silicon and Germanium semiconductors have a crystalline structure that is called the “diamond lattice.” This means that the atom is in the center and all of its neighbors are situated around the corners of the tetrahedron. There are many different pure element semiconductors as well as alloys and compounds. Compound semiconductors have some advantage in that they can provide a very broad range of mobilities and energy gaps. This simply means that materials have qualities and properties that match very specific requirements. For this reason, there are some semiconductors which are considered to be wide band gap semiconductors.
Why are the properties of a semiconductor important?
Semiconductors have numerous properties that conductors and insulators do not have. These properties are defined by electrons which are able to skip form the valance band over to the conduction band or vice versa. One of the things that might affect an electron and give it the extra energy to make the jump over to the conduction band is temperature. This of course also leaves a hole in the valence band where the electron was previously located. Light may also be an element that provides an energy boost to create an “electron-hole” pair. This process is termed absorption. When the current in a semiconductor is increased because of the absorption of photons, it is called photoconductivity. Photons have varying energies. The photon is a particle associated with light which can behave as either a wave or a particle.
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What makes semiconductors important?
In order to understand how important the job of semiconductors is, it is important to understand the basic difference between electronics and electricity. Both of these are in ways affiliated with electrical energy and they can generate, transfer and utilize it. The primary difference between these two is that electricity is basically concerned with using electrical energy in real life applications such as lighting, heating or motors. Electronics, on the other hand is primarily concerned with applications such as power control or communication. Examples of electronic devices include thermostats, radios, or electric motor speed controls. The real importance of a semiconductor is that they can be both insulators and conductors. A semiconductor can be used in the capacity of a conductor, or an insulator. Varying conditions can affect a semiconductor’s conductivity. When several different types of semiconductors are combined they can generate special electrical properties in various devices by allowing the control of specific electrical signals. Semiconductors are frequently used when manufacturing electronic devices as well as integrated circuits.
Various Types of Semiconductors
There are two basic categories of semiconductors: Extrinsic and Intrinsic. Intrinsic semiconductors are made of very pure materials and therefore they make very poor conductors. The intrinsic semiconductors have an equal number of negative and positive carriers called electrons and holes respectively. Am extrinsic semiconductor is one in which conductivity is improved by the adding of impurities, the doping process. Doping can produce two different categories of semiconductors: negative charge (n-type) or positive charge (p-type). Semiconductors are available as either a compound or an element. The most common and basic semiconductors are silicon and Germanium. Both silicon and Germanium semiconductors have a crystalline structure that is called the “diamond lattice.” This means that the atom is in the center and all of its neighbors are situated around the corners of the tetrahedron. There are many different pure element semiconductors as well as alloys and compounds. Compound semiconductors have some advantage in that they can provide a very broad range of mobilities and energy gaps. This simply means that materials have qualities and properties that match very specific requirements. For this reason, there are some semiconductors which are considered to be wide band gap semiconductors.
Why are the properties of a semiconductor important?
Semiconductors have numerous properties that conductors and insulators do not have. These properties are defined by electrons which are able to skip form the valance band over to the conduction band or vice versa. One of the things that might affect an electron and give it the extra energy to make the jump over to the conduction band is temperature. This of course also leaves a hole in the valence band where the electron was previously located. Light may also be an element that provides an energy boost to create an “electron-hole” pair. This process is termed absorption. When the current in a semiconductor is increased because of the absorption of photons, it is called photoconductivity. Photons have varying energies. The photon is a particle associated with light which can behave as either a wave or a particle.