(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Semiconductors


They diffuse various layers onto the surface of a silicon wafer to make a transistor, leaving a layer of protective oxide on the junctions. This method allowed metal interconnections to be evaporated onto the flat transistor surface and replaced the hand wiring. They used silicon as substitute to germanium, this was the first IC(integrated Circiut). In fact, the semiconductor industry is very conservative when it comes to introducing new materials. The same basic materials used in the 1960s are still in use today.
             ]Properties :.
             Electrical properties.
             The most important properties of semiconductors are the electrical properties. Consider silicon crystal that is very pure and contains a negligible amount of impurities. Each silicon atom in the crystal is surrounded by four of its nearest neighbors. Each shared electron pair constitutes a covalent bond. At low temperatures the electrons are bound in their specific positions in the crystal; consequently, the material does not conduct electricity. At high temperature thermal vibration break some of the covalent bonds. The breaking of a bond yields a free electron that can participate in current conduction. Once an electron moves away from a covalent bond, it leaves a hole that is filled with the neighboring atom this cause conduction to occur. So at low temperate the silicon is a poor conductor. But, by introducing impurities into a semiconductor we can produce conductivity even at low temperature (typically to a concentration of one part per million host atoms). This process is the doping process. For example, when a silicon atom is replaced by an atom with five outer electrons such as arsenic, four of the electrons form covalent bonds with the four neighboring silicon atoms. The fifth electron becomes a conduction electron that is donated to the conduction band. The silicon becomes an n-type semiconductor because of the addition of the electron.


Essays Related to Semiconductors


Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question