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Questions and Answers
What type of semiconductor is formed when Si or Ge is doped with a pentavalent element?
What type of semiconductor is formed when Si or Ge is doped with a pentavalent element?
- Insulating semiconductor
- n-type semiconductor (correct)
- p-type semiconductor
- Intrinsic semiconductor
Why does the fifth electron of the pentavalent dopant become weakly bound to its parent atom in the crystal lattice?
Why does the fifth electron of the pentavalent dopant become weakly bound to its parent atom in the crystal lattice?
- It forms strong covalent bonds with neighboring silicon atoms
- The four bonding electrons are considered part of the effective core of the atom (correct)
- It is repelled by the silicon lattice structure
- It has high ionization energy making it weakly bound
What is a key characteristic of the ionization energy required to set the fifth electron of the pentavalent dopant free?
What is a key characteristic of the ionization energy required to set the fifth electron of the pentavalent dopant free?
- It is independent of temperature (correct)
- It is around 1.1 eV for germanium
- It is high compared to intrinsic semiconductors
- It increases with doping level
Why is a pentavalent dopant in a semiconductor referred to as a donor impurity?
Why is a pentavalent dopant in a semiconductor referred to as a donor impurity?
How does the energy required to jump the forbidden band in intrinsic semiconductors compare to that needed to set the fifth electron free in doped semiconductors?
How does the energy required to jump the forbidden band in intrinsic semiconductors compare to that needed to set the fifth electron free in doped semiconductors?
What happens to the number of free electrons generated by Si atoms with an increase in temperature?
What happens to the number of free electrons generated by Si atoms with an increase in temperature?