Table of Contents
A semiconductor is said to be any of a class of crystalline solids that is electrically conductivity-wise halfway between a conductor and an insulator. Semiconductors are being used to make a variety of electronic devices such as diodes, transistors, and integrated circuits. Because of their compactness, dependability, power efficiency, and low cost, such devices have found widespread application. They have found use as discrete components in power devices, optical sensors, and light emitters, including solid-state lasers. They can handle a wide range of currents and voltages and, more importantly, can be integrated into complex but easily manufactured microelectronic circuits. They were indeed, and will continue to be, critical components in the majority of electronic systems, serving communications, signal processing, computing, and control applications in both the consumer and industrial markets.
Semiconductor Devices: Holes and Electrons
Electrons and holes in semiconductors hold electronic charges. Holes carry positively charged particles, while electrons carry negatively charged particles. The magnitude of holes and electrons is the same. They have the same magnitude despite having different polarities.
Properties of Semiconductors
Semiconductors can conduct electricity under ideal conditions or circumstances. Even so, there are several other factors to consider.
- The conductivity of the semiconductor increases as the temperature (applied heat) rises.
- Electrons and holes travel through the semiconductor. As a consequence, power loss is reduced.
- Doping improves the efficiency of semiconductor devices.
- Resistance drops as the temperature rises.
Semiconductor Device Types
Semiconductors have been divided into two broad categories: three-terminal devices and two-terminal devices. The physics of these two categories distinguish them.
(1) Two-terminal Semiconductors – A semiconductor material with a single positive-negative (p-n) junction.
(2) Three-terminal Semiconductors – These semiconductor materials contain positive-negative-positive (P-N-P) junctions.
Diodes
This is a semiconductor device with a single p-n junction. When p-type and n-type semiconductor materials are combined, p-n junctions are formed in the majority of cases. Because the n-type region has more electron concentrations and the p-type region has more hole concentrations, electrons diffuse from the n-type region to the p-type region. As an outcome, light is produced.
Transistors
Transistors have been classified into two types: bipolar junction transistors and field-effect transistors. Bipolar junction transistors were indeed made by combining two p-n junctions in various configurations, such as n-p-n or p-np. The transistor has always been divided into three regions known as the emitter, collector, and base, or middle region.
An electric field could indeed change the conductivity of a field-effect transistor, which is based on the conductivity principle.
FAQs
What are Semiconductors made of?
A semiconductor, as well as an integrated circuit, is typically manufactured in hundreds of steps, with hundreds of copies of an integrated circuit created on a single wafer. A pretty standard integrated circuit is made up of 8 to 20 patterned layers on (and into) the wafer, culminating in the complete circuit. The surface of a semiconductor wafer has been formed with electrically active (connected) regions during this layering operation.
What is a Common Application of Semiconductor Materials?
Microprocessors have been frequently made from semiconductor materials. Moreover, these materials are appropriate for high-voltage appliances.
