Extrinsic semiconductor
An extrinsic
Doping is the key to the extraordinarily wide range of electrical behavior that semiconductors can exhibit, and extrinsic semiconductors are used to make
Conduction in semiconductors
A solid substance can conduct electric current only if it contains charged particles,
Unlike in metals, the atoms that make up the bulk semiconductor crystal do not provide the electrons which are responsible for conduction. In semiconductors, electrical conduction is due to the mobile
Semiconductor doping
Semiconductor doping is the process that changes an intrinsic semiconductor to an extrinsic semiconductor. During doping, impurity atoms are introduced to an intrinsic semiconductor. Impurity atoms are atoms of a different element than the atoms of the intrinsic semiconductor. Impurity atoms act as either donors or acceptors to the intrinsic semiconductor, changing the electron and hole concentrations of the semiconductor. Impurity atoms are classified as either donor or acceptor atoms based on the effect they have on the intrinsic semiconductor.
Donor impurity atoms have more valence electrons than the atoms they replace in the intrinsic semiconductor lattice. Donor impurities "donate" their extra valence electrons to a semiconductor's conduction band, providing excess electrons to the intrinsic semiconductor. Excess electrons increase the electron carrier concentration (n0) of the semiconductor, making it n-type.
Acceptor impurity atoms have fewer valence electrons than the atoms they replace in the intrinsic semiconductor lattice. They "accept" electrons from the semiconductor's valence band. This provides excess holes to the intrinsic semiconductor. Excess holes increase the hole carrier concentration (p0) of the semiconductor, creating a p-type semiconductor.
Semiconductors and dopant atoms are defined by the column of the periodic table in which they fall. The column definition of the semiconductor determines how many valence electrons its atoms have and whether dopant atoms act as the semiconductor's donors or acceptors.
Group
Group
Intrinsic semiconductor | Donor atoms (n-Type Semiconductor) | Acceptor atoms (p-Type Semiconductor) | |
---|---|---|---|
Group IV semiconductors | Silicon, Germanium | Phosphorus, Arsenic, Antimony | Boron, Aluminium, Gallium |
Group III–V semiconductors | Aluminum phosphide, Aluminum arsenide, Gallium arsenide, Gallium nitride | Selenium, Tellurium, Silicon, Germanium | Beryllium, Zinc, Cadmium, Silicon, Germanium |
The two types of semiconductor
N-type semiconductors
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8b/N-Type_Semiconductor_Bands.svg/200px-N-Type_Semiconductor_Bands.svg.png)
N-type semiconductors are created by
Examples: phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, etc.
P-type semiconductors
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/37/P-Type_Semiconductor_Bands.svg/200px-P-Type_Semiconductor_Bands.svg.png)
P-type semiconductors are created by doping an intrinsic semiconductor with an electron acceptor element during manufacture. The term p-type refers to the positive charge of a hole. As opposed to n-type semiconductors, p-type semiconductors have a larger hole concentration than electron concentration. In p-type semiconductors, holes are the majority carriers and electrons are the minority carriers. A common p-type dopant for silicon is boron or gallium. For p-type semiconductors the Fermi level is below the intrinsic semiconductor and lies closer to the valence band than the conduction band.
Examples: boron, aluminium, gallium, etc.
Use of extrinsic semiconductors
Extrinsic semiconductors are components of many common electrical devices. A semiconductor
Transistors (devices that enable current switching) also make use of extrinsic semiconductors. Bipolar junction transistors (BJT), which amplify current, are one type of transistor. The most common BJTs are NPN and PNP type. NPN transistors have two layers of n-type semiconductors sandwiching a p-type semiconductor. PNP transistors have two layers of p-type semiconductors sandwiching an n-type semiconductor.
Field-effect transistors (FET) are another type of transistor which amplify current implementing extrinsic semiconductors. As opposed to BJTs, they are called unipolar because they involve single carrier type operation – either N-channel or P-channel. FETs are broken into two families, junction gate FET (JFET), which are three-terminal semiconductors, and insulated gate FET (IGFET), which are four-terminal semiconductors.
Other devices implementing the extrinsic semiconductor:
See also
References
- Neamen, Donald A. (2003). Semiconductor Physics and Devices: Basic Principles (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Higher Education. ISBN 0-07-232107-5.