EEPC13 Electron Devices Quiz

A material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator.

A semiconductor material with a repetitive crystal structure, like Ge or Si.

The number of protons in an atom's nucleus, defining the element and used to order elements in the periodic table.

The outermost electron shell of an atom.

An electron in the valence shell of an atom, involved in chemical bonding.

A material with very low electrical conductivity.

A material with high electrical conductivity.

A measure of a material's opposition to the flow of electric current.

When an electron falls into a hole, releasing energy.

Minimum energy needed to move an electron from a filled valence band to an empty conduction band (in a semiconductor).

Conductivity between metals and insulators, able to be tailored for various applications.

The observation that the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years.

The electrons in the outermost shell of silicon atoms, responsible for bonding and conductivity.

Increase in the energy of motion of ions caused by rising temperature.

Electrons lose energy when colliding with vibrating ions.

Ordered energy levels, with sublevels (s, p, d, f) containing specific orbitals inside.

Electrons populate energy levels and sublevels following the diagonal rule.

Each orbital holds a maximum of 2 electrons.

A tetrahedral structure where each Silicon atom is covalently bonded to four others.

When an electron breaks free from a covalent bond, creating a 'hole' and a free electron.

Bond formed when an atom shares valence electrons with it's neighbouring atoms.

The energy difference between the valence band and the conduction band in a semiconductor.

A pure semiconductor material where the number of electrons and holes are equal.

The number of free electrons per cubic centimeter in an intrinsic semiconductor at a given temperature.

The energy band where electrons are free to move and conduct electricity.

The energy band where electrons are tightly bound to atoms and cannot conduct electricity.

A vacant electron state in the valence band that can accept an electron, acting as a positive charge carrier.

The number of holes per cubic centimeter in an intrinsic semiconductor. Equal to electron density (ni) in intrinsic materials.

Electrons and holes are charge carriers in pure silicon, with a relatively low number of free charge carriers at room temperature compared to the total number of atoms.

The point where the velocity of charge carriers in a semiconductor stops increasing linearly with the electric field, reaching a maximum value called velocity saturation.

Electric current produced by charge carriers moving due to an electric field.

A measure of how easily electrons move through a material under an electric field.

The current flowing per unit area.

The ratio of the carrier velocity to the electric field.

The concentration of free electrons and holes in a pure semiconductor material (like GaAs) at a given temperature.

The controlled addition of impurities to an intrinsic semiconductor to modify its electrical properties. This creates 'extrinsic' semiconductors.

A semiconductor doped with pentavalent impurities (like phosphorus), creating an excess of free electrons.

A semiconductor doped with trivalent impurities (like boron), creating 'holes' (absence of electrons) that act like positive charge carriers.

A pentavalent impurity that donates extra electrons in a semiconductor, creating an n-type semiconductor.

A trivalent impurity that creates holes (missing electrons) in a semiconductor, creating a p-type semiconductor.

A semiconductor that has deliberately been doped to alter its electrical conductivity.

A specific energy level created by doping that is close to the band gap. Electrons transition between this discrete level to the conduction band.