Semiconductor Physics

These flashcards cover key concepts, terms, and definitions related to semiconductor physics, including types of semiconductors, crystal structures, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics.

binary semiconductor

A two-element compound semiconductor, such as gallium arsenide (GaAs).

covalent bonding

The bonding between atoms in which valence electrons are shared.

diamond lattice

The atomic crystal structure of silicon, where each atom has four nearest neighbors in a tetrahedral configuration.

doping

The process of adding specific types of atoms to a semiconductor to favorably alter the electrical characteristics.

elemental semiconductor

A semiconductor composed of a single species of atom, such as silicon or germanium.

epitaxial layer

A thin, single-crystal layer of material formed on the surface of a substrate.

ion implantation

A process of doping a semiconductor.

lattice

The periodic arrangement of atoms in a crystal.

Miller indices

The set of integers used to describe a crystal plane.

primitive cell

The smallest unit cell that can be repeated to form a lattice.

substrate

A semiconductor wafer or material used as the starting material for further processing.

ternary semiconductor

A three-element compound semiconductor, such as aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs).

unit cell

A small volume of a crystal that can be used to reproduce the entire crystal.

zincblende lattice

A lattice structure identical to the diamond lattice with two types of atoms instead of one.

de Broglie wavelength

The wavelength of a particle as the ratio of Planck’s constant to momentum.

Heisenberg uncertainty principle

The principle stating no two conjugate variables like momentum and position can be precisely described simultaneously.

Pauli exclusion principle

The principle stating that no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state.

photon

The particle-like packet of electromagnetic energy.

quanta

The particle-like packet of thermal radiation.

quantized energies

The allowed discrete energy levels that particles may occupy.

quantum numbers

A set of numbers describing the quantum state of a particle.

quantum state

A particular state of an electron described by quantum numbers.

tunneling

The quantum mechanical phenomenon allowing a particle to penetrate a potential barrier.

wave–particle duality

The characteristic of electromagnetic waves exhibiting both wave-like and particle-like behavior.

allowed energy band

A range of energy levels that an electron in a crystal can occupy based on quantum mechanics.

density of states function

The density of available quantum states as a function of energy.

electron effective mass

The parameter relating the acceleration of an electron in the conduction band to an external force.

Fermi–Dirac probability function

The function describing the statistical distribution of electrons among energy states.

fermi energy

The energy below which all states are filled with electrons at absolute zero temperature.

forbidden energy band

A range of energy levels that an electron in a crystal is not allowed to occupy.

hole

The positively charged particle associated with an empty state in the valence band.

hole effective mass

The parameter relating the acceleration of a hole in the valence band to an applied external force.

k-space diagram

The plot of electron energy in a crystal versus momentum-related constant k.

Kronig–Penney model

A mathematical model of a periodic potential representing a one-dimensional crystal lattice.

Maxwell–Boltzmann approximation

The condition for approximating the Fermi–Dirac function by a simple exponential.

acceptor atoms

Impurity atoms added to create a p-type semiconductor.

charge carrier

Electrons and/or holes that give rise to electrical currents inside the semiconductor.

compensated semiconductor

A semiconductor with both donors and acceptors present.

complete ionization

When all donor atoms are positively charged and all acceptor atoms are negatively charged.

degenerate semiconductor

A semiconductor with electron or hole concentration greater than effective density of states.

donor atoms

Impurity atoms added to create an n-type semiconductor.

effective density of states

The parameter resulting from integrating quantum states times the Fermi function over energies.

extrinsic semiconductor

A semiconductor where controlled amounts of donors and/or acceptors are added.

freeze-out

The condition where temperature is lowered and donor/acceptor charges become neutral.