Semiconductor Physics

Flashcards created from lecture notes on semiconductor physics to aid in exam preparation.

At absolute zero, a pure, perfect crystal of most semiconductors will be an __.

insulator

The electrical resistivity of semiconductors generally ranges from __ ohm-cm at room temperature.

10^2 to 10^6

Semiconductors are electronic conductors with electrical resistivity values intermediate between good conductors () and insulators ().

10^-6; 10^14

Generation in semiconductors occurs when a covalent bond is __, leading to electron and hole formation.

broken

In the recombination process, the electron in the conduction band may lose its energy and fall into the __ band.

valence

The movement of charge carriers under the influence of an electric field is known as __.

drift

Diffusion is the process by which charge carriers in a semiconductor move from a region of __ concentration to a region of lower concentration.

higher

A pure semiconductor is called __ semiconductor.

intrinsic

The conductivity of intrinsic semiconductors increases as the __ is gradually increased.

temperature

N-type semiconductors are formed by adding a __ impurity to a pure semiconductor.

pentavalent

The majority carriers in n-type semiconductors are __.

electrons

A trivalent impurity, when added to the semiconductor, creates __, leading to the formation of a p-type semiconductor.

holes

The phenomenon of charge creation by impact ionization is utilized in __ photodiodes.

avalanche

When light energy strikes a solar cell, it generates __ and hole pairs within the depletion layer.

electron

The ratio of the product of current and voltage at maximum power point to the product of short circuit current and open circuit voltage is known as the __ of a solar cell.

fill factor

Under reverse bias conditions, the __ carriers in a PIN photodiode carry most of the electric current.

minority

The Hall Effect helps to determine the type of __ based on the direction of the Hall Voltage.

semiconductor

Zener diodes are heavily doped to allow them to operate effectively in the __ region.

breakdown

In an NPN transistor, the majority carriers are __ from the emitter region.

electrons

The common emitter configuration of a transistor uses the as the common terminal for both input and output.

emitter

Avalanche photodiodes are used in applications where __ gain is important.

high

What is the common emitter configuration of a transistor?

The common emitter configuration of a transistor is a popular configuration where the emitter terminal serves as the common terminal for both input and output. In this setup, the input signal is applied between the base and the emitter, while the output is taken between the collector and the emitter. This configuration is widely used due to its ability to amplify voltage, making it effective in signal amplification applications. The common emitter configuration provides phase inversion, meaning the output signal is inverted relative to the input signal, and it typically offers high current gain.