What is Intrinsic carrier density?

The density of thermally generated electrons and holes in an undoped semiconductor, written ni. For silicon it is about 1×10¹⁰ cm⁻³ at room temperature and rises steeply with temperature. In equilibrium, n × p = ni².

Field: Semiconductor physics

Intrinsic carrier density in the explanations

Questions that mention Intrinsic carrier density (6)

  1. What happens to the intrinsic carrier density when the temperature of an intrinsic semiconductor is raised?
  2. In a semiconductor in thermal equilibrium, what is the product of electron density n and hole density p (n×p)? (ni: intrinsic carrier density)
  3. What is the approximate hole density in n-type silicon with a donor concentration of 1×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ (all donors ionized, intrinsic carrier density ni = 1×10¹⁰ cm⁻³)?
  4. Which value is closest to the intrinsic carrier density of silicon at room temperature?
  5. In regions where the impurity concentration far exceeds the intrinsic carrier density, the diffusion coefficient of arsenic and others varies with concentration. Which statement about this is correct?
  6. How does the forward voltage of a silicon diode carrying a constant current change as the temperature rises?

Related terms

SiC (silicon carbide) GaN (gallium nitride) Donor GaAs (gallium arsenide) Fermi level Acceptor Auger recombination Band gap Degenerate semiconductor Diffusion length

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