Summarizing Semiconductors and Doping

Summary

• The energy structure of a semiconductor can be altered by substituting one type of atom with another (doping).
• Semiconductor n-type doping creates and fills new energy levels just below the conduction band.
• Semiconductor p-type doping creates new energy levels just above the valence band.
• The Hall effect can be used to determine charge, drift velocity, and charge carrier number density of a semiconductor.

Glossary

acceptor impurity

atom substituted for another in a semiconductor that results in a free electron

donor impurity

atom substituted for another in a semiconductor that results in a free electron hole

doping

alteration of a semiconductor by the substitution of one type of atom with another

drift velocity

average velocity of a randomly moving particle

hole

unoccupied states in an energy band

impurity atom

acceptor or donor impurity atom

impurity band

new energy band create by semiconductor doping

majority carrier

free electrons (or holes) contributed by impurity atoms

minority carrier

free electrons (or holes) produced by thermal excitations across the energy gap

n-type semiconductor

doped semiconductor that conducts electrons

p-type semiconductor

doped semiconductor that conducts holes