Intrinsic semiconductor
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An intrinsic semiconductor, also called an undoped semiconductor or i-type semiconductor, is a pure semiconductor without any significant dopant species present. The number of charge carriers is therefore determined by the properties of the material itself instead of the amount of impurities. In intrinsic semiconductors the number of electrons and the number of holes are equal.
Intrinsic semiconductors conductivity can be due to crystal defects or to thermal excitation. In an intrinsic semiconductor the number of electrons in the conduction band is equal to the number of holes in the valence band. An example is Hg0.8Cd0.2>Te at room temperature.
A layer of i-type semiconductor is used in PIN diodes.
[edit] References
- Sze, Simon M. (1981). Physics of Semiconductor Devices (2nd ed.). John Wiley and Sons (WIE). ISBN 0-471-05661-8.
- Kittel, Ch. (2004). Introduction to Solid State Physics. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 0-471-41526-X.
[edit] See also
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