Diodes Flashcards
Valence electrons
The electrons in the outermost ring or shell of an atom.
Pentavalent atom
An atom with 5 valence electrons.
Trivalent atom
An atom with 3 valence electrons.
Peak Inverse Voltage
The maximum instantaneous reverse bias voltage across a diode.
N-type
A semiconductor doped with pentavelent impurity atoms resulting in a large number of free electrons.
P-type
A semiconductor doped with trivalent impurity atoms resulting in a large number of holes in the material.
Majority current carrier
The dominant type of charge carrier in a doped semiconductor material. In an N-type it is free electrons, in a P-type it is holes. (Opposite for minority current carrier)
Hole
The absence of a valence electron in a covalent bond structure.
Intrinsic semiconductor
A semiconductor material with only one type of atom.
Barrier Potential
Vb. The potential difference at the P-N junction of the diode.
Depletion Zone
The area at the P-N junction of a diode that is depleted of all charge carriers.
Doping
The process of adding impurity atoms to a pure semiconductor material such as silicon.
Electron-hole pair
A free electron and a hole are created when a valence electron gains enough energy to leave its covalent bond in a silicon crystal.
Extrinsic Semiconductor
A semiconductor doped with impurity atoms to alter its characteristics, mainly conductivity.
Forward Bias
The polarity of the voltage across a diode that permits current to flow through it easily.
