What is a semi conductor? How is it created and how is it useful?

Answer 1

semi conductor are like insulators but very narrow band gap as compared to insulators.....so at room temperature also...some of the electrons in semi conductors are able to jump through the gap and conduct little of electricity.....semi conductor slike silicon and germanium are used to build chips that are in ur computer in ur mobile in every electric equipment u can think of.......

Answer 2

A semiconductor is a metal element that has no conduction electrons in its valence, but the energy to get the electrons in the outer orbital to move to the conduction band is relatively small.

These elements are Germanium and Silicon.

large crystal lattices, called ingots, of these elements are grown in special ovens. The purity of grown Silicon crystals is among the most pure of any element in existance.

In order to make pure Silicon useful, small amounts of other elements adjacent to Silicon and Germanium on the periodic table of elements are added to the Silicon (called doping) to make it more conductive: to either add electrons to the crystal lattice, or take away electrons.

For example, by adding a small amount of Boron to Silicon crystal structure the Boron atoms have 1 fewer electron in their outer shell compared to Silicon, so that makes the whole Silicon/Boron crystal slightly positive compared to Silicon, alone. We call that "P-type" Silicon.

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It is also possible to create a semiconductor out of alloys of elements adjacent to Silicon and Germanium on the periodic table of elements -- taking one from each side, such as an alloy of Gallium and Arsenic.


How is it useful? Devices called diodes and transistors are made out of the joining of P-type and N-type semiconductors. Diodes and transistors (and there are many different types of these) are used to make every kind of electronic device, from computers to cell phones to I-pods and video games, etc. etc.

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Answer 3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semiconductor

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