What Are N-Type Semiconductors?

Also called electronic semiconductor. N-type semiconductors are impurity semiconductors whose free electron concentration is much greater than the hole concentration.

Also called electronic semiconductor. N-type semiconductors are impurity semiconductors whose free electron concentration is much greater than the hole concentration.

Chinese name

N-type semiconductor

Alias

Electronic semiconductor

Dopant

Group elements such as phosphorus

Carrier

electronic

N-type semiconductor characteristics

There are two kinds of carriers in semiconductors, namely holes in the valence band and electrons in the conduction band. A semiconductor mainly dominated by electrons is called an N-type semiconductor, while a semiconductor dominated by holes is the opposite It is called a P-type semiconductor. "N" means negative electricity, taken from the first letter of English Negative. In this type of semiconductor,

Participating conductive (ie conductive carriers) are mainly negatively charged electrons from donors in semiconductors. Any semiconductor doped with a donor impurity or more donors than an acceptor is an N-type semiconductor. For example, semiconductors such as germanium or silicon containing an appropriate amount of the pentavalent element arsenic, phosphorus, antimony, or the like. ^[1]

Since the amount of positive charge and the amount of negative charge in the N-type semiconductor are equal, the N-type semiconductor is electrically neutral. Free electrons are mainly provided by impurity atoms, and holes are formed by thermal excitation. The more impurities doped, the higher the concentration of the multipliers (free electrons) and the stronger the conductivity.

N-type semiconductor formation principle

Doping and defects can increase the electron concentration in the conduction band. For germanium and silicon-based semiconductor materials, doped Group V elements (phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, etc.), and when impurity atoms replace germanium in the lattice by substitution For silicon atoms, an extra electron can be provided in addition to satisfying the covalent bond coordination, which results in an increase in the electron concentration in the conduction band of the semiconductor. Such impurity atoms are called donors. - compound semiconductor donors often Group IV or VI elements are used. Certain oxide semiconductors, such as ZnO, Ta ₂ O ₅ and so on, tend to be deficient in oxygen. These oxygen vacancies can act as donors, so these oxides are generally electronically conductive. N-type semiconductor, vacuum heating, can further strengthen the degree of hypoxia, which is manifested in stronger electronic conductivity. ^[2]