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QUESTION 2.1.1 (0 points)

What is NOT true about a semiconductor at room temperature and in the dark? The band gap of the semiconductor is within a range of 0.5 eV to 3eV. In a semiconductor electrons almost fully fill the valence band. In a semiconductor only a few electrons fill the conduction band. In a semiconductor the valence band is fully filled with electrons.

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EXPLANATION

A semiconductor is characterized by a limited mobility of electrons. For electrons to move throughout the material, they need to be given the energy to excite them from the valence band into the conduction band. That energy can be given thermally or by photons (through the photovoltaic effect). Since the semiconductor is at room temperature, there is enough thermal energy to excite some of the electrons from the valence band into the conduction band. Therefore the valence band cannot be fully filled with electrons, even though the semiconductor is in the dark.

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QUESTION 2.1.2 (0 points)

What are the free carriers in the different electronic bands of a semiconductor? Electrons in conduction band and holes in valence band Holes in conduction band and electrons in valence band Both electrons and holes in conduction band when an electric field is applied Both electrons and holes in valence band when an electric field is applied

EXPLANATION

The 'free' carriers can also be called charge carriers, and are the entities that move along each band. When conduction occurs, the electrons are excited in to the conduction band and become mobile, while a mobile hole is left behind in the valence band.

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