ECE 1205

Science of Engineering Materials

Semiconductor

Shafrin Sultana, Lecturer

Dept of ECE, KUET
Energies of Emitted Electrons
𝑉
𝐼 = 𝐼0 𝑒 𝑉𝑇
5030
log 𝐼 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝐼0 + 𝑉
𝑇
5030 5030
log 𝐼 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝐼𝑡ℎ − 𝑉′ + 𝑉
𝑇 𝑇
Hands on practice 2.e
i. Verify the retarding potential equation in
• V =0
• V<V’
• V=V’
• V>V’
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1) PRINCIPLES OF Electronic Materials & Devices | S. O. Kasap | 4th Edition
2) Electronics Devices and Circuits | Millman & Halkias | International
Student Edition
3) Semiconductor Physics and Devices Basic Principles | Donald A. Neamen |
4th Edition
Kronig Penney Model 3.1.2 [3]
Effective Mass 4.4 [1], 3.2.4 [3]
Conduction In Semiconductor 5.1 – 5.2 [2]
Donor And Acceptor Impurities 5.4 – 5.5 [2]
Drift, Diffusion And Other Carrier 5.7, 5.8 [2], 5.1.1, 5.2 [3]
8/3/2023 Theories
Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering 3
Kronig Penney Model
Depending on the value of P, there are several cases arises.
Case I: With the increase of P, there will be
• Increase in barrier strength
• Allowed energy band will be narrower
• Electron will be tightly bound inside the crystal

Hands on practice 2.f

i. Derive the expression for the energy
required to bound an electron inside an
atom
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Kronig Penney Model
Depending on the value of P, there are several cases arises.
Case II: If P = 0,
• Barrier strength will be 0
• Electron will be free

Hands on practice 2.g

i. Derive the expression for the energy of a
free electron

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Kronig Penney Model
Depending on the value of P, there are several cases arises.
Case III: Brillouin zones
cos 𝑘𝑎 = ± 1
𝑘𝑎 = 𝑛𝜋
𝜋
𝑘 = ±𝑛
𝑎
Figure 3.9 shows this plot and thus shows the concept of
allowed energy bands for the particle propagating in the
crystal lattice.
Since the energy E has discontinuities, we also have the
concept of forbidden energies for the particles in the crystal
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Effective Mass
According to Kronig Penney model, inside a crystal electron moves in a
periodic potential. The mass isn’t fixed, rather it is affected by velocity,
acceleration and the potential barrier.

The effective mass is a quantum mechanical

quantity that behaves in the same way as the
inertial mass in classical mechanics.

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Effective Mass

Hands on practice 2.h

i. Derive the expression for the effective
mass of electron
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Conduction in Semiconductor
At 0 k At room temperature

Assignment 2.6
i. Explain how do holes contribute in conductivity [Hints: 5.1 (2)]
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Conduction in Semiconductor
With each electron – hole pair created, two charge – carrying particles are formed. One is
negative (the free electron) of mobility 𝜇𝑛 , and the other is positive (the hole of mobility
𝜇𝑝 . These particles move in opposite directions in an electric field 𝐸 , but since they are of
opposite design, the current of each is in the same direction. Hence the density J is given
by,

𝐣 = 𝒆 𝒑𝝁𝒑 + 𝒏𝝁𝒏 𝑬 = 𝝈𝑬
Where n – magnitude of free-electron (negative) concentration
P = magnitude of hole (positive) concentration
𝜎= conductivity = 𝑒 𝑝𝜇𝑝 + 𝑛𝜇𝑛
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Donor & Acceptor Impurities
If intrinsic semiconductors are doped with pentavalent materials
(donor/ n-type impurities), the number of electrons increases, but
the number of holes deceases below that which would be available
in the intrinsic semiconductor. The reason for the decrease in the
number of holes is that the larger number of electrons present
increases the rate of recombination of electrons with the holes.

The four valence electrons will occupy covalent bonds and the fifth
will be nominally unbound and will be available as a carrier of
current
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Donor & Acceptor Impurities
The energy required to detach the 5th electron from the atom is of
the order of only 0.01eV for Ge or 0.05 eV for Si.

When donor impurities are added to a semiconductor, allowable

levels are introduced a very small distance below the conduction
band. These new allowable levels are essentially a discrete level
because the added impurities are far apart in the crystal structure
and their interaction is small. At room temperature, almost all of
the 5th electrons of the donor material are raised into conduction
band.
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Donor & Acceptor Impurities

Assignment 2.7
i. What are acceptor impurities. Explain the Energy – band
diagram of p-type semiconductor

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Charge Densities in a Semiconductor
For Intrinsic Semiconductor, charge density = 𝒏𝒑 = 𝒏𝟐𝒊
Where n=concentration of electrons, p = concentration of holes,𝑛𝑖 = intrinsic concentration

Since, semiconductor are electrically neutral,

Total concentration of positive charge=total concentration of negative charge
𝑵𝑫 + 𝒑 = 𝑵𝑨 + 𝒏
Where, 𝑁𝐷 = Concentration of donor atoms(positive charge/𝑚3 )
𝑁𝐴 =Concentration of acceptor atoms (negative charge/ 𝑚3 )

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Charge Densities in a Semiconductor
For n type Semiconductor, 𝑵𝑨 = 0
Then, 𝑁𝐷 + 𝑝 = 𝑛
And n>>p, we can write 𝑁𝐷 ≈ 𝑛𝑛
So, 𝑛𝑛 𝑝𝑛 = 𝑁𝐷 𝑝𝑛 = 𝑛𝑖2

𝒏𝟐𝒊
Similarly, The concentration of holes in n-type semiconductor will form, 𝒑𝒏 =
𝑵𝑫

Assignment 2.8
i. Find the expression for The concentration of electrons in p-type semiconductor

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Carrier Drift Current Density
An electric field applied to a semiconductor will produce a force on electrons and holes
so that they will experience a net acceleration and net movement, provided there are
available energy states in the conduction and valence bands. This net movement of
charge due to an electric field is called drift. The net drift of charge gives rise to a drift
current.

Hands on practice 2.i

i. “The drift current density is given by the total drift current density is the

sum of the individual electron and hole drift current densities” – Prove.

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Carrier Drift Current Density
If we have a positive volume charge density, 𝝆 moving at an average drift velocity 𝝊𝒅 , the

drift current density is given by 𝑱𝒅𝒓𝒇 = 𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍𝑨𝒓𝒆𝒂

𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕
= 𝝆𝝊𝒅

If the volume charge density is due to positively charged holes, then the drift current
density due to holes will be, 𝑱𝒑|𝒅𝒓𝒇 = (𝒆𝒑)𝝊𝒅𝒑
where 𝝊𝒅𝒑 is the average drift velocity of the holes
Average drift velocity for low electric fields, is directly proportional to the electric field. We
may then write 𝝊𝒅𝒑 = 𝝁𝒑 𝑬
where 𝝁𝒑 is the proportionality factor and is called the hole mobility

𝑱𝒑|𝒅𝒓𝒇 = (𝒆𝒑)𝝁𝒑 𝑬
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Carrier Drift Current Density
Similarly, if the volume charge density is due to negatively charged electrons, then the drift
current density due to holes will be, 𝑱𝒏|𝒅𝒓𝒇 = (−𝒆𝒏)𝝊𝒅𝒏
where 𝝊𝒅𝒏 is the average drift velocity of the electrons
Average drift velocity for low electric fields, is directly proportional to the electric field. We
may then write 𝝊𝒅𝒑 = −𝝁𝒏 𝑬
where 𝝁𝒏 is the proportionality factor and is called the hole mobility

𝑱𝒏|𝒅𝒓𝒇 = (𝒆𝒏)𝝁𝒏 𝑬
Since both electrons and holes contribute to the drift current, the total drift current density
is the sum of the individual electron and hole drift current densities.
𝑱𝒅𝒓𝒇 = 𝒆(𝒑𝝁𝒑 + 𝒏𝝁𝒏 )𝑬
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Diffusion Current Density
Diffusion is the process whereby particles flow from a region of high concentration
toward a region of low concentration. The net flow of charge from higher concentration
to lower concentration region would result in a diffusion current.

The diffusion hole current density 𝐽𝑝 is proportional to

the concentration gradient and is given by
𝒅𝒑
𝑱𝒑 = −𝒆𝑫𝒑 [𝑫𝒑 = Diffusion constant for holes]
𝒅𝒙

Similarly, for diffusion electron-current density,

𝒅𝒏
𝑱𝒏 = 𝒆𝑫𝒏 [𝑫𝒏 = Diffusion constant for electrons]
𝒅𝒙

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Diffusion Current Density
𝑒
𝜇𝑝 = 𝐷𝑝
𝐾𝑇
𝑒
𝜇𝑛 = 𝐷𝑛
𝐾𝑇
𝑫𝒏 𝑫𝒑 𝑲𝑻
Ratio between Diffusion constant and mobility, = = = 𝟎. 𝟎𝟐𝟔𝐕 [say, T=300K]
𝝁𝒏 𝝁𝒑 𝒆

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Carrier Lifetime
In intrinsic semiconductor, the number of free electrons and holes are equal. Thermal
agitation continues to produce new hole-electron pairs while other hole-electron pairs
disappear as a result of recombination
On average a hole(an electron) will exist for 𝜏𝑝 𝜏𝑛 sec before recombination. This time
is called the mean lifetime of the hole and electrons respectively
Carrier lifetimes range from nanoseconds to hundreds of microseconds. These
parameters are very important in semiconductor devices because they indicate the
time required for electron and hole concentrations which have been caused to return
to their equilibrium concentrations

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