How Semiconductors Work: 3D Animation

Key Takeaways

we've all heard about semiconductors but how do they work today let's take a closer look first of all it should be noted that in a pure semiconductor there are equal numbers of electrons which are negatively charged particles and holes which possess a net positive charge the most common semiconductors are silicon or germanium both of which are tetravalent which means they have four valence electrons in their outermost shell because eight electrons is a stable number one more or one less electron will change the charge of the atom in a tetrahedral arrangement each atom forms covalent bonds with four surrounding atoms but let's simplify the model to make it easier to understand at Absolute Zero the electrons are strongly bonded to their parent nucleus however if heat is applied then the thermal energy may become greater than the energy binding the electron to the nucleus that means that the heat will break the covalent bond the bond is broken sending the electron from the valence band into the conduction band leaving in its place a net positive charge or a hole [Music] since the item now has a net positive charge an electron from a neighboring atom may be attracted to it so that the hole seems to have moved to the neighboring atom the electron hole movement throughout a semiconductor is random however if an electrical field is applied then the electrons are urged to fill the holes so that the holes move in the direction of the current while the electrons move in the opposite direction filling in the holes and that's it that's how a semiconductor works if you like to learn more please visit my link in the description below [Music]