Doped Semiconductors

EC
ED

EC
ED
EG

EG
T=0K

EV
x

valence electrons

1
E EF
f donor 1 exp D
k BT
2
nD N D f donor

T>0K
EV
holes

ED EF

;
1
4
exp
f

acceptor

k BT

The temperature dependence of the conducting electron

concentration in an n-type semiconductor

Doped Semiconductors
conducting electrons
E

EC
ED
neutral
donors

EC
ED
EG
T=0K

EV

valence electrons

ionized
donors

EG

Nd
T>0K

EV
conducting
electrons

The temperature dependence of the electron concentration

in an n-type semiconductor.
2

Doped (Non-Degenerate) Semiconductors:

Distribution Function
ni hi ; n ni nD ; p hi N D
nD N D N D ; nD N D f donors
ND
nD N
EC EF
1 g exp

k BT
EC EF
N D exp

k BT

1<g<4 and
exp (Ec-EF) >>1

The dependence of the electron concentration in an n-type

semiconductor as a function of temperature and donor
3
energy.

Fermi Energy Level in an ntype Semiconductor

EC ED
nn ni N D exp
;
k BT

2
n
ni N D ; nn N D ; pn i ;
ND
NC
N D
kT ln
EC EF Ei kT ln
ni
ND
An approximation for shallow donors, EC-ED < 2 kT
4

Intrinsic and Doped

Semiconductors

Example: Si is doped by donor atoms with concentration

ND=1017 cm-3 and activation energy ED=20 meV. Calculate
number of conducting electrons at room temperature
3

n ni nD ; ni 10 cm N D
10

Ec
ED

EF

EC ED
nD N D exp
; EF EC ED / 2
2 k BT

0.02

17
17
10
10 exp

0.68

2 0.026
EV

The electron concentration in an n-type semiconductor,

Fermi level is between EC and ED shallow donors.

Intrinsic and Doped

Semiconductors

The temperature dependence of the electron concentration

in an n-type semiconductor.
6

Carrier Statistics in Intrinsic

and Doped Semiconductors

Energy band diagrams for (a) intrinsic (b) n-type

and (c) p-type semiconductors. The Fermi energy level is
shown.

Conductivity

Carrier Statistics in Intrinsic

and Doped Semiconductors
Temperature
dependence of
electrical
conductivity for a
doped (n-type)
semiconductor.

Equilibrium and Non-equilibrium

Carriers: Photo-excitation

(a) A photon with an energy greater than Eg can excite an electron from the
VB to the CB. (b) When a photon breaks a Si-Si bond, a free electron and a
hole in the Si-Si bond is created. In an intrinsic semiconductors, n=p.
9

Energy Bands & Optical

Transitions

10

Energy Bands & Optical

Transitions

Optical absorption generates electron hole pairs. Energetic

electrons must loose their excess energy to lattice vibrations
until their average energy is (3/2)kT in the conduction band. 11

Non-equilibrium Carriers in
Doped Semiconductors
Low level carrier
photo-generation in an
n-type semiconductor
in which nphoto< nD

12

Non-equilibrium Carriers in
Doped Semiconductors
Low level injection
in an n-type
semiconductor does
not affect majority
carrier concentration
nn but drastically
affects the minority
carrier concentration
pn.

13

Non-equilibrium Carriers in
Doped Semiconductors

Illumination of an n-type semiconductor results in excess electron

and hole concentrations. After the illumination, the recombination
process restores equilibrium; the excess electrons and holes
14
simply recombine.

Non-equilibrium Carriers in
Doped Semiconductors

Illumination is switched on at time t = 0 and then off at t = toff. The excess

minority carrier concentration, pn(t) rises exponentially to its steady state
value with a time constant h. From t off, the excess minority carrier
15
concentration decays exponentially to its equilibrium value.

Non-equilibrium Carriers in
Semiconductors: Quasi-Fermi level
Under conditions different than thermal equilibrium
(light, strong electric field, etc.), carrier concentration
and energy distribution no longer solely depends on
temperature. New Fermi level for each type of charge
carrier (electrons and holes) can be established (quasiFermi level). The quasi-Fermi levels for electrons and
holes, EFn and EFp, are not in general equal (i.e.,
independent from each other). To find them, we usually
begin with n(E) and p(E), and write them in terms of the
conduction and valence band densities of states and the
quasi-Fermi levels EFn and EFp.
16

Non-equilibrium Carriers in
Semiconductors: Quasi-Fermi level
However, the electron population is near equilibrium
within the conduction energy band, and the hole
population is near equilibrium within the valence energy
band. Thus, the population of electrons over the
conduction band states, if ne< NC, follows MB statistics,
where EFn is electron quasi-Fermi energy level:

EC EFn
n( E ) N C exp

kT

NC
and EFn ( E ) EC kT ln

(
)
n
E

17

Carriers in Semiconductors:
Summary and Control Questions
Find Fermi energy level (or just Fermi level) in an
(a) Intrinsic (or undoped) semiconductor
(b) P-type semiconductor
(c) N-type semiconductor
(d) Degenerate semiconductor
(e) Compensated semiconductors (NDNA)
How about dark and under illumination? Is MB
statistic still applicable?
18

Semiconductor Band Structure and

K (momentum)-space: Very Briefly
In solid state physics crystal momentum is a momentumlike vector associated with electrons in a crystal lattice. It
is defined by the
associatedwave vectors k of this lattice,
according to pcrystal k

A wave vector k is a vector representation of a wave.

The wave vector has magnitude indicating wavenumber

k (reciprocal of wavelength ), and the direction of the
vector indicates the direction of wave propagation.
Wavenumber is also related to wavelength by the
2
following formula:

19

Semiconductor Band Structure

and K-space: Very Briefly
*
p 2meff
E

20

Semiconductor Band Structure and K

(momentum)-space: Very Briefly
E

Conduction
band
Energy
gap
Valence
band

Eg

Eg

HH
LH

Split off

Direct Band Gap

HH
LH

Split off

Indirect Band Gap

21

Semiconductor Band Structure

and K-space: Very Briefly
E
photon
hv

E
photon
hv

Eg

phonon

HH
LH

Split off

Direct Band Gap

HH

LH Split off

Indirect Band Gap

22

Semiconductor Band Structure

and K-space: Control question
In terms of band structure, what is the
difference between direct and indirect
band semiconductor?

23

Semiconductor Band Structure

and K-space: Control question
In terms of band structure, what is the
difference between direct and indirect
band semiconductor?
E

Direct,
GaAs, III-V

Indirect,
Si, Ge
k

24

Electron Motion Under Applied

Voltage: Carrier Drift

When an electric field is applied,

electrons in the CB and holes in the
VB can drift and contribute to the
conductivity. A simplified
illustration of drift in Ex. Applied
field bends the energy bands since
the electrostatic Potential Energy
(PE) of the electron is eV(x) and
V(x) decreases in the direction of
Ex whereas PE increases.
25

Electron Motion Under Applied

Voltage: Carrier Drift
I current [A], J current density [A/cm2];
V voltage [V], E electric field [V/cm]
R resistance [Ohm]; resistivity [Ohm cm]
conductivity [1/(Ohm cm)]=[S]

V
I ;E V / x
R
vdr
1
; J E; endr en

E
26

Carrier Mobility & Velocity:

Thermal Velocity

27

Carrier Diffusion

28

Carrier Diffusion

Dn

k BT
n ; vdrif t n E ;
q

q V cm 2 cm 2
v cm 2
n
; Dn
s

E Vs
Q
V
s

Carrier mobility an important parameter

29

Drift Velocity: Constant Mobility

and Saturation
Si, T= 6 430 K
Linear

vdrift E
vdrift vthermal
107 cm / s

30

Drift Velocity: Constant Mobility

and Saturation
vdrift E
Constant
mobility low
electric field
mobility
Negative
differential
mobility
31

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

32

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

33

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

34

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

35

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

36

Mobility, Carrier Effective Mass

and Time Between Collisions
vdrift E

n, p

q n , p
*
n, p

37

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity:

Scattering

Scattering of electrons by an ionized impurity

38

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity:

Scattering

Double log plot of drift mobility vs temperature for n-type Ge and n-type
Si samples. Various donor concentrations for Si are shown. The upper right
inset is the simple theory for lattice limited mobility whereas the lower left
39
inset is the simple theory for impurity scattering limited mobility.

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

The variation of the drift mobility with dopant concentration

in Si for electrons and holes
40

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

Control questions:
What is the definition of carrier mobility?
What is drift velocity? saturation drift velocity?
What are the major carrier mobility limitations at a low
temperature and at room temperature?

41

Carrier Mobility & Drift Velocity

Summary, formulas and
important numbers

42

Table of Important Semiconductor

Properties

43

Basic Equations (selected)

44

Summary. Distribution Functions

& Densities of States.

45

Summary: Electron & Hole Concentration

in Intrinsic Semiconductor
Also known as mass action law (with EF in the
middle of the energy gap)

Eg
n p n N C NV exp
kT
Eg
n N C NV exp

2kT
2
i

E g EF
N C NV exp

kT

46

Summary. Electron & Hole

Concentration.

47

Summary. Semiconductor Statistics.

48

Summary. Carrier Drift Velocity.

49

Complete data on major

semiconductors
http://www.ioffe.rssi.ru/SVA/NSM/Semicond/index.html
Other useful sites:
http://ece-www.colorado.edu/~bart/book/
http://jas.eng.buffalo.edu/

50