Extrinsic semiconductor

An extrinsic semiconductor is one that has been doped,

that is, into which a doping agent has been introduced, giving it dierent electrical properties than the
intrinsic (pure) semiconductor. This doping involves
adding dopant atoms to an intrinsic semiconductor, which
changes the electron and hole carrier concentrations of
the semiconductor at thermal equilibrium, the temperature at which two adjacent substances exchange no heat
energy. Dominant carrier concentrations in an extrinsic semiconductor classify it as either an n-type or ptype semiconductor. The electrical properties of extrinsic semiconductors make them essential components of
many electronic devices.

Group III-V semiconductors, the compound semiconductors, use group VI atoms as donors and group II atoms
as acceptors. Group III-V semiconductors can also use
group IV atoms as either donors or acceptors. When a
group IV atom replaces the group III element in the semiconductor lattice, the group IV atom acts as a donor. Conversely, when a group IV atom replaces the group V element, the group IV atom acts as an acceptor. Group IV
atoms can act as both donors and acceptors; therefore,
they are known as amphoteric impurities.

2 The two types of extrinsic semiconductor

Semiconductor doping

2.1 N-type semiconductors

Semiconductor doping is the process that changes an

intrinsic semiconductor to an extrinsic semiconductor.
During doping, impurity atoms are introduced to an intrinsic semiconductor. Impurity atoms are atoms of a different element than the atoms of the intrinsic semiconductor. Impurity atoms act as either donors or acceptors
to the intrinsic semiconductor, changing the electron
and hole concentrations of the semiconductor. Impurity
atoms are classied as donor or acceptor atoms based on
the eect they have on the intrinsic semiconductor.

Donor impurity atoms have more valence electrons than

the atoms they replace in the intrinsic semiconductor lattice. Donor impurities donate their extra valence electrons to a semiconductors conduction band, providing
excess electrons to the intrinsic semiconductor. Excess
electrons increase the electron carrier concentration (n0 ) Band structure of an n-type semiconductor. Dark circles in the
of the semiconductor, making it n-type.
conduction band are electrons and light circles in the valence
band are holes. The image shows that the electrons are the majority charge carrier.

Acceptor impurity atoms have fewer valence electrons

than the atoms they replace in the intrinsic semiconductor lattice. They accept electrons from the semiconductors valence band. This provides excess holes to the
intrinsic semiconductor. Excess holes increase the hole
carrier concentration (p0 ) of the semiconductor, creating
a p-type semiconductor.

N-type semiconductors have a larger electron concentration than hole concentration. The phrase 'n-type' comes
from the negative charge of the electron. In n-type semiconductors, electrons are the majority carriers and holes
are the minority carriers. N-type semiconductors are created by doping an intrinsic semiconductor with donor impurities (or doping a p-type semiconductor as done in the
making of CMOS chips). A common dopant for n-type
silicon is phosphorus. In an n-type semiconductor, the
Fermi level is greater than that of the intrinsic semiconductor and lies closer to the conduction band than the
valence band.

Semiconductors and dopant atoms are dened by the column of the periodic table in which they fall. The column
denition of the semiconductor determines how many
valence electrons its atoms have and whether dopant
atoms act as the semiconductors donors or acceptors.
Group IV semiconductors use group V atoms as donors
and group III atoms as acceptors.
1

2.2

P-type semiconductors

EXTERNAL LINKS

are four terminal semiconductors.

Other devices implementing the extrinsic semiconductor:
Lasers
Solar cells
Photodetectors

Light-emitting diodes
Thyristors

4 See also
Band structure of a p-type semiconductor. Dark circles in the
conduction band are electrons and light circles in the valence
band are holes. The image shows that the holes are the majority
charge carrier

As opposed to n-type semiconductors, p-type semiconductors have a larger hole concentration than electron
concentration. The phrase 'p-type' refers to the positive
charge of the hole. In p-type semiconductors, holes are
the majority carriers and electrons are the minority carriers. P-type semiconductors are created by doping an
intrinsic semiconductor with acceptor impurities (or doping an n-type semiconductor). A common p-type dopant
for silicon is boron. For p-type semiconductors the Fermi
level is below the intrinsic Fermi level and lies closer to
the valence band than the conduction band.

Intrinsic semiconductor
Doping (semiconductor)
List of semiconductor materials

5 References
Neamen, Donald A. (2003). Semiconductor Physics
and Devices: Basic Principles (3rd ed.). McGrawHill Higher Education. ISBN 0-07-232107-5.

6 External links
Howstuworks: How Semiconductors Work

Use of extrinsic semiconductors

Extrinsic semiconductors are components of many common electrical devices. A semiconductor diode (devices
that allow current in only one direction) consists of ptype and n-type semiconductors placed in junction with
one another. Currently, most semiconductor diodes use
doped silicon or germanium.
Transistors (devices that enable current switching) also
make use of extrinsic semiconductors. Bipolar junction
transistors (BJT), which amplify current, are one type of
transistor. The most common BJTs are NPN and PNP
type. NPN transistors have two layers of n-type semiconductors sandwiching a p-type semiconductor. PNP transistors have two layers of p-type semiconductors sandwiching an n-type semiconductor.
Field-eect transistors (FET) are another type of transistor which amplify current implementing extrinsic semiconductors. As opposed to BJTs, they are called unipolar
because they involve single carrier type operation - either
N-channel or P-channel. FETs are broken into two families, junction gate FET (JFET), which are three terminal
semiconductors, and insulated gate FET (IGFET), which

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