Semiconductor Equilibrium
This comprehensive overview of semiconductor equilibrium explores the fundamental principles governing charge carriers in semiconductors. It illustrates the behavior of intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors, considering various parameters such as temperature and doping levels (n-type and p-type). The statistics of electrons and holes, the Fermi-Dirac distribution, and practical examples for calculating electron concentrations in silicon at different temperatures are discussed. Moreover, the impact of donor and acceptor impurities on semiconductor properties is analyzed, emphasizing the significance of Fermi level positioning.
Semiconductor Equilibrium
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Presentation Transcript
Semiconductor Equilibrium Equilibrium No external forces (voltages, electric fields, temp.gradients) First Consider pure crystal Then Consider addition of dopants
Semiconductor Equilibrium Charge carriers Electrons in conductance n(E) = gc(E)fF(E) n(E) - prob. dens. of electrons gc(E) - conductance density fF(E) - Fermi-Dirac prob. function Holes in valence p(E) = gV(E)(1 - fF(E)) p(E) - prob. dens. of holes gv(E) - valence density fF(E) - Fermi-Dirac prob. function
Semiconductor Equilibrium Charge carriers(cont.)
Semiconductor Equilibrium Charge carriers(cont.) Example Find the probability that a state in the conduction band is occupied and calculate the electron concentration in silicon at T = 300K. Assume Fermi energy is .25 eV below the conductance band Note low probability per state but large number of states implies reasonable concentration of electrons
Semiconductor Equilibrium Charge carriers(cont.) For intrinsic semiconductor, concentration of electrons in conductance band is equal to holes in the valence band. Thus,
Semiconductor Equilibrium Dopant Atoms (n-type semiconductor) Phosphorous has 5 valence electrons Energy-band diagram
Semiconductor Equilibrium Dopant Atoms (p-type semiconductor) Boron has 3 valence electrons Energy-band diagram
Semiconductor Equilibrium The Extrinsic Semiconductor n-type p-type
Semiconductor Equilibrium The Extrinsic Semiconductor Example Consider doped silicon at 300K. Assume that the Fermi enery is .25 eV below the conduction band and .87 eV above the valence band. Calculate the thermal equilibrium concentration of e’s and holes
Semiconductor Equilibrium The Extrinsic Semiconductor The n0p0 product That is, the product of n0 and p0 is a constant for a given semiconductor at a given temperature.
Semiconductor Equilibrium Statistics of donors and acceptors Ratio of electrons in donor state total electrons Example Consider phosporous doped silicon at T = 300K and at a concentration of Nd = 1016 cm-3. Find the fraction of electrons in the donor state.
Semiconductor Equilibrium Compensated semiconductors Formed by adding both donor and acceptor impurities in the same region Energy-band diagram
Semiconductor Equilibrium Compensated semiconductors (cont.) With the assumption of charge neutrality, we can derive Example Consider a silicon semiconductor at T = 300K in which Na = 1016 cm-3 and Nd = 3 1015 cm-3. Assume ni = 1.5 1010 cm-3 and find p0 and n0.
Semiconductor Equilibrium Position of Fermi energy level As a function of doping levels As a function of temperature for a given doping level