UNIT - III

BASIC ELECTRONIC DEVICES SEMICONDUCTOR

Energy band diagram, Intrinsic and Extrinsic semiconductors, PN junction

diodes - characteristics. Transistors: PNP and NPN transistors - theory of
operation - Transistor configurations –characteristics.
Atomic Structure
 Atomic Structure

Example: Silicon atom. It has 14 electrons. Two electrons revolve in the first orbit, 8 in the second orbit and 4 in the third
orbit.
Atomic Structure
Atomic Structure
Energy Level

This is known as Energy level diagram.

Energy Bands
Important Energy Bands
 Important Energy Bands

Key Points
i) Valance band
Large amount of energy is required to move electron.
ii) Conduction band
Small amount of energy is required to move electron.

iii) Energy gap between valance band and conduction band is called forbidden
energy gap.

Based on the current carrying capacity materials can be classified into

i) Conductors
ii) Semiconductors and
iii) Insulators
 Classification of Solid and Energy Bands
Conductor is a good conductor of electricity.
Insulator is a poor conductor of electricity.
Semiconductor has its conductivity lying between these two extremes.
Materials can be classified into these three types depending on the number of valence electrons in the atom. Electrons in the
outermost orbit of an atom are valence electrons. In a good conductor, the number of valence electrons will be 1 or 2, (e.g. copper).
In an insulator, the outermost orbit will be completely filled (e.g. xenon).
In a semiconductor, the outermost orbit will be partially filled. For example, the number of valence electrons is 4 in
Germanium (Ge) and Silicon (Si).

Fig. Therefore, a very high electric field is required to push the valence
electrons to the conduction band.
 Classification of Solid and Energy Bands

Due to this overlapping, a slight potential difference

 Classification of Solid and Energy Bands

Further, the energy gap between valence and conduction bands is very
small as shown in fig. Therefore,
 Semiconductors

(iii) When a suitable metallic impurity (e.g, arsenic, gallium etc.,) is added to a semiconductor, its current conducting
properties change appreciably. This property is most important.
 Classification of Semiconductors
1. Intrinsic Semiconductor
 Classification of Semiconductors
2. Extrinsic Semiconductor
 Classification of Semiconductors
(i) n-type semiconductor
Classification of Semiconductors
Classification of Semiconductors
Classification of Semiconductors
 Classification of Semiconductors
(ii) p-type semiconductor
Classification of Semiconductors
Classification of Semiconductors
Classification of Semiconductors
 Majority and minority charge carriers
Donor doping- N Type
Impurity having 5 electrons and 3 holes are added to the semiconductor. This produces excess electron to semiconductor.
Eg. Phosphorous, Antimony, Arsenic Pentavalent atoms.

Acceptor doping- P Type

Impurity having 3 electrons and 5 holes are added to the semiconductor. This produces excess hole to semiconductor.
Eg. Boron, Aluminium, Gallium  Trivalent atoms.

Semiconductor Majority Minority

N-Type ELECTRONS Holes
P-Type HOLES Electrons
 Drift Current and Diffusion Current

Drift Current Diffusion Current

• Electric field will accelerate the electron in • Charge carriers in a semiconducting material
conductor/ Semiconductor towards the positive is of same polarity and they repel each other.
terminal.
• The movement of electron due to this
• On its way, the electron will collide with the
atoms and rebounds in random direction. repulsion is called the DIFFUSION
CURRENT.
• This causes the electron to drift in towards the
positive terminal. This movement is called
DRIFT CURRENT.
 Diode

* A diode is a one way device, offering a low resistance for forward biased and behaves as a open switch
when reverse-biased.
* The P –Type material and N-Type material are connected in PN Junction diode.
 PN Junction

Holes are uniformly distributed throughout the

This initial diffusion of charge carriers create a P-Type material.
barrier voltage at the junction.
Electrons are uniformly distributed throughout
This barrier voltage at junction opposes the flow of the N-type material.
electrons.
Electrons in N-type material are attracted by the
This movement of charge carriers across the positive charge carriers and moves into the P-Type region
junction leaves a layer on each side that is depleted of charge and Vice versa.
carriers. This is the depletion region.
 PN Junction
1. Forward bias condition

•P Side is connected to the positive terminal.

•N Side is connected to the Negative terminal.
•Electrons in the N Side is repelled by the
Negative terminal and moves towards the
positive terminal.
•Holes in P-Side is repelled by the positive
terminal and moves towards the negative
terminal.
•This reduces the depletion width and barrier
potential.
•And the depletion layer vanish as the voltage
increases.
 PN Junction
2. Reverse bias condition

Electrons in the N Side is attracted by the positive

terminal and moves towards the positive terminal.
Holes in P-Side is attracted by the negative
terminal and moves towards the negative terminal.
This widens the depletion width and increases the
barrier potential.
Due to this large barrier voltage there is no
possibility for the flow of majority charge carriers.
Reverse biased PN junction has high resistance.
The minority charge carriers cross the junction
and small reverse current.
 PN Junction
Characteristics of PN Junction Diode
 PN Junction
Important Terms
PN Junction
Example
PN Junction