Why semiconductors

The impurity atom is thus known as acceptor atom. Addition of n-type impurities decreases the number of holes below a level. Similarly, the addition of p-type impurities decreases the number of electrons below a level. The free electron and hole concentrations are related by the Law of Electrical Neutrality i.

According to Mass Action Law 2. How much electricity a semiconductor can conduct depends on the material and its mixture content. Semiconductors can be insulators at low temperatures and conductors at high temperatures. As they are used in the fabrication of electronic devices, semiconductors play an important role in our lives. Semiconductor material is used in the manufacturing of electrical components and used in electronic devices such as transistors and diodes.

They can be classified into mainly two categories known as intrinsic semiconductors and extrinsic semiconductors. An intrinsic semiconductor material is very pure and possesses poor conductivity. It is a single element not mixed with anything else.

On the other hand, extrinsic is a semiconductor material to which small amounts of impurities are added in a process called doping which cause changes in the conductivity of this material. The doping process produces two groups of semiconductors which are known as the negative charge conductor known as n-type and the positive charge conductor known as p-type. The materials selected to be added to an intrinsic depend on the atomic properties of both the material being added and the material to be doped.

The combination of various semiconductor types together generates devices with special electrical properties, which allow control of electrical signals. Imagine a world without electronics if these materials were not discovered.

Despite the fact that vacuum tubes can be used to replace them, using semiconductors has made electronics faster, reliable and a lot smaller in size. Also, they have allowed for creation of electrical devices with special capabilities which can be used for various purposes. Total views 13, On Slideshare 0. From embeds 0. Number of embeds 6. Downloads Shares 0.

Comments 0. Likes 6. You just clipped your first slide! Clipping is a handy way to collect important slides you want to go back to later. Some compound semiconductors can increase the speed at which electrons pass through them sixfold, allowing for faster processing speeds. Just as important, compound semiconductors have particularly strong photonic properties, allowing them to turn light into electricity and electricity into light highly efficiently.

This makes them perfect for light-based communications like fibre optics. Silicon semiconductors are the industry standard for most microchips — not because they are faster, but because they are cheaper. Compound materials are expensive to produce compared to their silicon alternatives. One solution is to layer compound semiconductors onto a silicon substrate, which reduces cost but leads to problems of its own. The resulting semiconductor contains faulty electron pathways due to the mismatch of both materials.

The problem is not insurmountable. IBM is using a technique known as confined epitaxial lateral overgrowth to develop silicon compound hybrids. IQE uses its patented cREO technology instead, adding a buffer between the silicon and compound material to mitigate compatibility issues. The adoption of increasingly complex electronics in all fields drives semiconductor sales, but some segments are particularly influential.

Among them, explosive smartphone adoption has led to strong semiconductor sales ever since the devices came to market. As smartphones become increasingly complex, the amount of semiconductors required in their sophisticated microchips will likely continue to grow the market. One of the features most in demand in the current generation of smartphones is face recognition, which encompasses the field of semiconductor photonics.

Photonics as a whole provides fertile ground for semiconductor growth due to the increasing importance of fibre optic broadband, complex cameras and light-based communication systems. In the long term, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things are huge potential markets for semiconductor chips, although these industries have yet to fully mature.

The semiconductor market is showing signs of a cyclical downturn, as is common in the industry. Although many electronic devices could be made using vacuum tube technology, the developments in semiconductor technology during the past 50 years have made electronic devices smaller, faster, and more reliable.

Think for a minute of all the encounters you have with electronic devices. How many of the following have you seen or used in the last twenty-four hours?