Semiconductors- Types and Classification

Semiconductors- Types and Classification

Have you heard about semiconductors? They are tiny electronic components commonly known as microchips and computer chips. They are also known as integrated circuits. These electronic components are mostly found in the smartphones, games, PCs, and electronic devices. The advancement in the technology has lead to the boom in the electronics industry and so in the semiconductor industry.

Purpose of a Semiconductor- A semiconductor helps in the movement of electricity. A semiconductor is used for the controlled movement of electrons from one component to another component.
As the name indicates, semiconductors are made up of materials which are neither good insulators nor good conductors. Such devices are used for wide range of applications due to the fact of its reliability, compactness, and inexpensive option. These electronic components are widely used in various sectors such as- light emitters, power devices, current and voltage handling capabilities, compactness optical sensors. In addition to this, they are used to manufacture microelectronic circuits. It is important to mention here that semiconductors are the key elements of the electronic components.

Different type of semiconductors- There are two basic groups or classifications that can be used to define the different semiconductor types. They are-

• Intrinsic material- The intrinsic type of semiconductor is made up of pure material. This is the reason that they possess a very low conductivity level. 

• Extrinsic material- Extrinsic types of the semiconductor are made up of material with some impurities.

N-type- The N-type semiconductor includes surplus electrons. This is the reason there are so many free electrons available within the structures. They move in one direction under the influence of a potential difference which results in an electric current flow. In an N-type semiconductor, electrons are the charge carriers.

P-type- In a P-type semiconductor there is a deficiency of electrons that means there are 'holes' in the crystal lattice. P-type electrons move from one empty place to the filled place which is considered as hole. It is important to mention here that the electrons carry the negative charge and holes carry the positive charge.

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