Key Points of Intrinsic Semiconductors
- Intrinsic semiconductors uses electrons and holes for conduction at room temperature.
- At 0 Kelvin (absolute temperature), intrinsic semiconductors behave like pure insulators.
- When an intrinsic semiconductor is doped with an impurity, it gets converted into an extrinsic semiconductor.
What is Intrinsic Semiconductor ?
Intrinsic semiconductors are semiconductors that are pure i.e. it does not contain any impurity. Since it does not contain any impurity, the number of free electrons and the number of holes are equal. It is also known as an i-type semiconductor. The number of free electrons and the number of holes depends on the property of the material and does not depend on the doping.
For intrinsic semiconductors
n = p
where, n=number of electron, m=number of holes.
On the basis of electrical conductivity, materials are classified as:
- Conductors: Good conductors of electricity
- Insulators: Bad conductors of electricity
- Semiconductors: These materials have conductivity levels between those of conductors and insulators.
On the basis of the amount of doping, semiconductors are Classified as:
- Intrinsic Semiconductors
- Extrinsic Semiconductors
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