The Physics of Semiconductor Devices Essay example

The Physics of Semiconductor Devices The purpose of this paper is to give a greater understanding of the semiconductor world, for Physics 100 students who have a little knowledge of electronics. I will cover conductors, insulators, semiconductors, and the operation of a diode and a transistor. The reason that it is important to understand these devices is the vast effect that they have had on our modern world. Our lives are filled by electronics, especially in this computerized age that we live in, and I have found that a knowledge of some electronics has greatly helped my understanding of the many electronic devices that we deal with on a daily basis. To understand the physics of a semiconductor device it is first necessary to†¦show more content†¦The outer shell of electrons that orbit the nucleus of an atom is called the valance shell. This is what makes a copper atom conduct. For a copper atom the number of electrons is one. When a charge of electricity is placed in the end of a wire the electrons move into the wire. Since there is only one electron in the valance shell of a copper atom it can be easily dislodged with a small amount of energy causing it to jump to the next atom. This will then cause the valance electron of that atom to jump to the next atom and so forth. This movement happens very fast making it possible for a large number of electrons to move through the wire. An example of a conductive atom is shown figure 1. Now we will move onto other materials that are involved with electronics. The next group of materials that will be discussed are insulators. An insulator is a material that does not conduct electricity at all but will resist or stop it from traveling further. An insulating atom has eight electrons in its valance shell which makes this shell complete. Eight is the most electrons that any atoms can have in their valance shell this is why these are called insulators, no more electrons can fit in the valance shell of these atoms. We have now discussed the two extremes in electronic materials; a conductor, and an insulator we will now move to a material that lies in between these two, a semiconductor. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Synthesis Of Semiconductor Devices982 Words   |  4 PagesThe synthesis of semiconductor devices in microelectronics and photonics applications has always fascinated me, and the field of developing electronic and photonic solid-state devices is a field that I find continuously interesting and rewarding. The physics behind these devices and their manufacturing are consistently setting new limits or allowing for new methods that produce useful applications. 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