Abstract
In this chapter we present several basic concepts and properties of semiconductors that are essential for understanding the operation of devices. We begin with the introduction of the concept of holes, that together with electrons are the charge carriers in electric conduction processes. Then we show the key role played by crystal impurities used in the preparation of two types of extrinsic semiconductors, p and n, that make possible the fabrication of devices. One section is devoted to the calculation of the concentrations of electrons and holes in both types of semiconductors, that strongly depend on the position of the Fermi level relative to the valence and conduction energy bands. Finally, we study the various mechanisms by which electrons and holes carry electric current in semiconductors.
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Further Reading
N.W. Ashcroft, N.D. Mermin, Solid State Physics (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York, 2011)
A. Bar-Lev, Semiconductors and Electronic Devices (Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1993)
W.F. Beadle, J.C.C. Tsai, R.D. Plummer (eds.), Quick Reference Manual for Silicon Integrated Circuit Technology (Wiley, New York, 1985)
D.A. Fraser, The Physics of Semiconductor Devices (Claredon Press, Oxford, 1986)
R.E. Hummel, Electronic Properties of Materials (Springer, Berlin, 2011)
K. Kano, Semiconductor Devices (Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1998)
C. Kittel, Introduction to Solid State Physics (Wiley, New York, 2004)
D. Neamen, Fundamentals of Semiconductor Physics and Devices (McGraw-Hill, New York, 2002)
D.J. Roulston, An Introduction to the Physics of Semiconductor Devices (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1999)
B.J. Streetman, S. Banerjee, Solid State Electronic Devices (Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2005)
S.M. Sze, M.K. Lee, Semiconductor Devices: Physics and Technology (Wiley, New York, 2012)
F.F.Y. Wang, Introduction to Solid State Electronics (North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1989)
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Rezende, S.M. (2022). Semiconductor Materials. In: Introduction to Electronic Materials and Devices. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81772-5_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-81772-5_5
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