Define the following terms related to semiconductor fundamentals: amorphous, polycrystalline, crystalline, lattice, unit cell, ingot, carrier, electron, hole, conduction band, vale... Define the following terms related to semiconductor fundamentals: amorphous, polycrystalline, crystalline, lattice, unit cell, ingot, carrier, electron, hole, conduction band, valence band, band gap, effective mass, intrinsic semiconductor, extrinsic semiconductor, dopant, donor, acceptor, n-type material, p-type material, n+ (or p+) material, majority carrier, minority carrier, density of states, Fermi function, Fermi energy (or level), nondegenerate semiconductor, degenerate semiconductor, charge neutrality, extrinsic temp region, intrinsic temp region, freeze-out, drift, scattering, thermal motion, drift velocity, saturation velocity, current density, mobility, resistivity, conductivity, band bending, diffusion, diffusion coefficient, recombination, generation, band-to-band R-G, R-G centers, E-k plots, direct semiconductor, indirect semi-conductor, photogeneration, absorption coefficient, low-level injection, equilibrium, perturbation, steady state, minority carrier lifetime, minority carrier diffusion length, quasi-Fermi level, dry oxidation, wet oxidation, predeposition, drive-in, diffusion mask, ion implantation, dose, projected range, photoresist, negative resist, positive resist, sputtering, CVD, LPCVD, PECVD, epitaxy, die, poly, wet etch, dry etch. Read more

Definitions for semiconductor terms include material properties (amorphous, crystalline), carrier behavior (electrons, holes), doping (donors, acceptors), processing techniques (oxidation, etching), and more, covering fundamental concepts in semiconductor physics and device fabrication.

Here are the definitions for the semiconductor terms:

1. Amorphous: A material lacking long-range order in its atomic structure.
2. Polycrystalline: A material composed of many small crystals (crystallites) with varying orientations.
3. Crystalline: A material with a highly ordered, repeating atomic structure.
4. Lattice: A periodic arrangement of atoms in a crystal.
5. Unit Cell: The smallest repeating unit of a crystal lattice.
6. Ingot: A large piece of material, typically semiconductor, formed by casting.
7. Carrier: A mobile charge particle in a semiconductor (electron or hole) that can carry current.
8. Electron: A negatively charged subatomic particle.
9. Hole: A vacant electron state in the valence band that behaves as a positive charge carrier.
10. Conduction Band: The energy band where electrons can freely move, enabling electrical conduction.
11. Valence Band: The highest energy band that is usually filled with electrons at low temperatures.
12. Band Gap: The energy range between the valence and conduction bands where no electron states exist.
13. Effective Mass: The mass that a particle appears to have in a solid, influenced by the crystal lattice.
14. Intrinsic Semiconductor: A pure semiconductor with an equal number of electrons and holes.
15. Extrinsic Semiconductor: A semiconductor doped with impurities to alter its electrical properties.
16. Dopant: An impurity atom added to a semiconductor to change its conductivity.
17. Donor: A dopant atom that contributes free electrons to the semiconductor (n-type).
18. Acceptor: A dopant atom that creates holes in the semiconductor (p-type).
19. N-type Material: A semiconductor with a higher concentration of electrons than holes.
20. P-type Material: A semiconductor with a higher concentration of holes than electrons.
21. N+ (or P+) Material: Heavily doped n-type (or p-type) semiconductor material.
22. Majority Carrier: The type of carrier (electron or hole) with the higher concentration in a semiconductor.
23. Minority Carrier: The type of carrier (electron or hole) with the lower concentration in a semiconductor.
24. Density of States: The number of available energy states per unit volume per unit energy in a material.
25. Fermi Function: The probability that an electron state at a given energy level will be occupied.
26. Fermi Energy (or Level): The energy level at which the probability of finding an electron is 50%.
27. Nondegenerate Semiconductor: A semiconductor where the Fermi level is far from the band edges.
28. Degenerate Semiconductor: A semiconductor where the Fermi level is located within the conduction or valence band.
29. Charge Neutrality: The condition where the total positive charge equals the total negative charge in a region.
30. Extrinsic Temperature Region: The temperature range where the electrical behavior of a semiconductor is dominated by the dopant concentration.
31. Intrinsic Temperature Region: The temperature range where the intrinsic carrier concentration dominates the electrical behavior of a semiconductor.
32. Freeze-out: The temperature range where dopants start to lose their ability to ionize, reducing free carriers.
33. Drift: The movement of charge carriers due to an electric field.
34. Scattering: The deflection of charge carriers due to imperfections, impurities, or thermal vibrations in the crystal lattice.
35. Thermal Motion: The random movement of atoms and charge carriers due to thermal energy.
36. Drift Velocity: The average velocity of charge carriers due to an electric field.
37. Saturation Velocity: The maximum drift velocity that carriers can achieve in a semiconductor at high electric fields.
38. Current Density: The amount of electric current flowing per unit area.
39. Mobility: A measure of how easily charge carriers move through a material in response to an electric field.
40. Resistivity: A measure of a material's resistance to the flow of electric current.
41. Conductivity: A measure of a material's ability to conduct electric current (inverse of resistivity).
42. Band Bending: The change in energy band edges near a surface or junction due to charge accumulation.
43. Diffusion: The movement of charge carriers from a region of high concentration to a region of low concentration.
44. Diffusion Coefficient: A measure of how quickly particles diffuse in a given medium.
45. Recombination: The process where an electron in the conduction band recombines with a hole in the valence band, eliminating both.
46. Generation: The process where electron-hole pairs are created in a semiconductor.
47. Band-to-Band R-G: Recombination-generation process where electrons and holes recombine directly across the band gap.
48. R-G Centers: Defects or impurities in the semiconductor that act as intermediate states, facilitating recombination-generation.
49. E-k Plots: Graphs showing the relationship between the energy (E) and wave vector (k) of electrons in a crystal.
50. Direct Semiconductor: A semiconductor where the minimum of the conduction band and the maximum of the valence band occur at the same k-value.
51. Indirect Semiconductor: A semiconductor where the minimum of the conduction band and the maximum of the valence band occur at different k-values.
52. Photogeneration: The generation of electron-hole pairs by the absorption of light.
53. Absorption Coefficient: A measure of how strongly a material absorbs light at a given wavelength.
54. Low-Level Injection: The condition where the injected minority carrier concentration is much smaller than the majority carrier concentration.
55. Equilibrium: A state where there is no net change in carrier concentrations or energy distribution over time.
56. Perturbation: A small disturbance to a system that causes a deviation from its equilibrium state.
57. Steady State: A condition where the properties of a system are constant in time.
58. Minority Carrier Lifetime: The average time a minority carrier exists before recombining.
59. Minority Carrier Diffusion Length: The average distance a minority carrier travels before recombining.
60. Quasi-Fermi Level: An energy level that represents the electron or hole concentration under non-equilibrium conditions.
61. Dry Oxidation: The growth of silicon dioxide (SiO2) on a silicon wafer using oxygen gas at high temperatures.
62. Wet Oxidation: The growth of silicon dioxide (SiO2) on a silicon wafer using water vapor at high temperatures.
63. Predeposition: The initial step in diffusion where dopant atoms are introduced onto the surface of a semiconductor.
64. Drive-in: A diffusion step used to drive dopant atoms deeper into the semiconductor.
65. Diffusion Mask: A layer of material (typically SiO2 or Si3N4) that prevents dopant diffusion in selected areas.
66. Ion Implantation: A technique for introducing dopant atoms into a semiconductor by bombarding it with ions.
67. Dose: The number of ions implanted per unit area during ion implantation.
68. Projected Range: The average depth at which implanted ions come to rest in a material.
69. Photoresist: A light-sensitive material used to pattern semiconductor wafers.
70. Negative Resist: A photoresist that becomes insoluble in the developer when exposed to light.
71. Positive Resist: A photoresist that becomes soluble in the developer when exposed to light.
72. Sputtering: A physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique where atoms are ejected from a target material and deposited onto a substrate.
73. CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition): A process where thin films are grown on a substrate by chemical reactions from vapor-phase precursors.
74. LPCVD (Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition): A CVD process performed at reduced pressure.
75. PECVD (Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition): A CVD process that uses plasma to enhance chemical reactions.
76. Epitaxy: The growth of a crystalline layer on a substrate with a defined crystallographic relationship.
77. Die: A small block of semiconductor material containing integrated circuits.
78. Poly: Polycrystalline silicon, often used as a gate electrode material in MOSFETs.
79. Wet Etch: A process that removes material using liquid chemicals.
80. Dry Etch: A process that removes material using plasma or gas-phase etchants.