University of Malaya

KIE 1006
Electronic Physics
Dr. Narendra Kumar, Dr-Ing (Germany), SMIEEE (USA), FIET (UK)
Department of Electrical Engineering
e-mail: narendra.k@um.edu.my
 Carrier Transport Phenomena
• The densities of the charged particles is important
towards understanding of the electrical properties of
semiconductor material
• The process by which these charged particles move
is called transport
• In this chapter, we will review of two basic transport
mechanism – drift and diffusion
• Drift: the movement of charge due to the electric
field
• Diffusion: the flow of charge due to density gradient

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 2

 Carrier Drift
• An electric field applied to a semiconductor will
produce on electrons and holes so that they will
experience a net acceleration and net movement
• This are available energy states in the conduction
and valence bands
• This movement of charge due to an electric field is
called drift,
• And the net drift of charges rise to a drift current

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 3

 Drift Current Density
• If we have a positive volume charge density p moving at an
average drift velocity vd

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 4

 cont... Drift Current Density

• The same discussion of drift applies to electron

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 5

 cont... Drift Current Density
• Both electrons and holes contribute to the drift
current, the total drift current density is the sum of
the individual electron and hole drift densities

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 6

 Example 1
To calculate the drift current density in a
semiconductor for a given electric field. Consider a
gallium arsenide at T=300K with doping concentration
of Na = 1 and Nd = 1.1 X 1016 cm-3. Assume complete
ionization and electron and hole mobility given in Table
5.1. Calculate the drift current density if the applied
electric field is 8V/cm. Consider ni=1.8X1016cm-3.

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 7

 Example 2
Consider a silicon at T=300K with doping concentration
of Na = 1015cm-3 and Nd = 1.1 X 1014 cm-3. Assume
electron and hole mobility given in Table 5.1. Calculate
the drift current density if the applied electric field is
35V/cm. Consider ni=1.3X1016cm-3

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 8

 Mobility Effects

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 9

 Conductivity

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 10

 Conductivity
Resistivity vs Impurity for a slicon at T=300K

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 11

 Example 2
Determine the doping concentration and major cattier
mobility given the type and conductivity of a
compensated semiconductor. Consider the
compensated n-type silicon at T = 300K, with a
conductivity of 20 (ohmcm)-1. Acceptor doping
concentration of 1.1 X 1017cm-2. Determine donor
concentration and electron mobility. Assume hole
mobility 0.01cm2/Vs.

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 12

 Example 3
A semiconductor that is uniformly doped with Nd =
1014cm-3 and Na = 0, with an applied electric field of E =
10 V/cm. Refer to Table 5.1 (silicon germanium) for
the n and p .Other properties as following also
assumed:
Nc = 2 X 1019 (T/300)3/2 cm-3,
Nv = 1 X 1019(T/300)3/2 cm-3 and Eg =1.05 eV.
Calculate the drift-current density at T = 400 K.

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 13

 Example 4
Semiconductor design with specified resistance to
handle a given current density.
A silicon semicoductor at T=300K is initially doped with
donors at a concentration of Nd=5 X 1015cm-3.
Acceptors are able to form a compensated p-type
material. The resistor is to have a resistance of 10k-
ohm and handle a current density of 50A/cm2 when 5V
is applied. Consider ni=1.3X1016cm-3 .

26 November 2013 Lecture 11 14

 Carrier Diffusion
• There is second mechanism, in addition to drift, that
can include a current in a semiconductor
• A container is divided into 2 parts by a membrane
• The left side contains gas molecules at particular
temperature and the right side is empty
• Diffusion is the process whereby particles flow from
a region of high concentration towards to low region

26 November 2013 Lecture 12 15

 cont...Carrier Diffusion
• Electron concentration over the distance

• If the molecules were electrically charged, the net

flow of change result in diffusion current
26 November 2013 Lecture 12 16
 cont...Carrier Diffusion
• If the molecules were electrically charged, the net
flow of change result in diffusion current

26 November 2013 Lecture 12 17

 cont...Carrier Diffusion

26 November 2013 Lecture 12 18

 Example 1
The diffusion current density given a density gradient.
Assume that, in an type gallium arsenide
semiconductor at T = 300K, the electron concentration
varies linearly from 1 X 1018 to 7X1017 cm-3 over a
distance of 0.1cm.
Calculate the diffusion current density if the electron
diffusion density Dn = 220 cm2/s.

26 November 2013 Lecture 12 19

 Example 2
The hole concentration can be shown as function p(x)=
a.exp(x)cm-3 at T = 300K.
where a is a constant. If the hole diffusion coefficient
is Dp = 34 cm2/s, find the hole diffusion current density
as a function of x.

26 November 2013 Lecture 12 20