What properties of semiconductors make them useful in electronic device?

Semiconductors are known to contain certain special properties which make them useful in an electronic device. Semiconductors have a resistivity higher than an insulator but less than a conductor. Also, the current conducting property of semiconductor changes when a suitable impurity is added to it.

What are the properties of intrinsic semiconductor?

1)materials in pure form show the property of semiconductor are called intrinsic semiconductor. 2)the number of free electrons in the conduction band is equal to the number of holes in the valence bond. 3)Its electrical conductivity is low. 4)Its electrical conductivity depends on temperature only.

Which element has a semiconductor property?

The elemental semiconductors are those composed of single species of atoms, such as silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), and tin (Sn) in column IV and selenium (Se) and tellurium (Te) in column VI of the periodic table. There are, however, numerous compound semiconductors, which are composed of two or more elements.

What is special about semiconductors?

Because semiconductors have a unique atomic structure that allows their conductivity to be controlled by stimulation with electric currents, electromagnetic fields, or even light. Since electrons carry a negative charge, this type of crystal with extra electrons is known as an N-type or N-doped semiconductor.

What are the properties of conductors?

Properties of Electrical Conductor

• A conductor always allows the movement of electrons and ions in them.
• The electric field of a conductor is zero allowing electrons to flow within them.
• The charge density of a conductor is zero.
• Only on the surface of the conductor, free charges exist.

Which are the most commonly used semiconductors and why?

The most commonly used semiconductor is

• Silicon has much smaller leakage current than that of germanium.
• Silicon can be worked at a higher temperature as compared to germanium.

What are the properties of extrinsic semiconductor?

In an extrinsic semiconductor, the concentration of doping atoms in the crystal largely determines the density of charge carriers, which determines its electrical conductivity, as well as a great many other electrical properties.

What is type of semiconductor?

There are two basic types of semiconductors; the intrinsic and the extrinsic. The material comprising an intrinsic semiconductor is in a generally pure state. The extrinsic semiconductor can be further categorized as either n-type or p-type. This is one to which impurities have been added to produce a desired state.

What metals are in semiconductors?

The most used semiconductor materials are silicon, germanium, and gallium arsenide. Of the three, germanium was one of the earliest semiconductor materials used. Germanium has four valence electrons, which are electrons located on the outer shell of the atom.

What are the properties of electric current?

Electricity is the flow of electrons through a conductor. The amount of current (amps) is related to the voltage (volts) pushing the electrons and the degree of resistance to flow (ohms). During their flow around a circuit, electrons can be used to create a number of useful byproducts such as heat and light.

What are the properties of semiconductor?

There are some important properties of semiconductor which are given below, The conductivity of a semiconductor is less than that of a conductor but more than that of an insulator. Semiconductor have negative temperature coefficient of resistance i.e. the resistance of a semiconductor decreases with the increase in temperature and vice versa.

How do semiconductors behave as insulators and conductors?

According to this property, the semiconductors behave like an insulator at very low temperature but act as a conductor at high temperatures. When a suitable metallic impurity (like arsenic, gallium, etc.) is added to a semiconductor, it changes the current-conducting properties of the semiconductor appreciably.

What is the difference between compound semiconductor and elemental semiconductor?

Semiconductors comprising a single element are called elemental semiconductors, including the famous semiconductor material Silicon. On the other hand, semiconductors made up of two or more compounds are called compound semiconductors, and are used in semiconductor lasers, light-emitting diodes, etc.

What is the difference between resistivity of conductors and semiconductors?

The difference in resistivity between conductors and semiconductors is due to their difference in charge carrier density. The resistivity of semiconductors decreases with temperature because the number of charge carriers increases rapidly with increase in temperature, making the fractional change i.e. the temperature coefficient negative.