Characteristics and applications of semiconductor materials

Characteristics and applications of semiconductor materials

Semiconductor materials are a class of electronic materials that have semiconductor properties and are used to make semiconductor devices. Semiconductor materials are the foundation of the semiconductor industry, and its development has a great impact on the development of semiconductor technology. So what are the characteristics and applications of semiconductor materials?

Characteristics of semiconductor materials

Semiconductor materials are a class of electronic materials that have semiconductor properties and are used to make semiconductor devices. The conduction mechanism of commonly used important semiconductors is realized by two kinds of carriers, electrons and holes, so there are corresponding N-type and P-type points. Semiconductor materials usually have a certain band gap, and their electrical properties are easily affected by external conditions (such as light, temperature, etc.). Materials of different conductivity types are prepared by doping with specific impurities. Impurities (especially heavy metal fast-diffusing impurities and deep-level impurities) have a particularly strong impact on material properties. Therefore, the semiconductor material should have high purity, which not only requires the raw material used to produce the semiconductor material should have a relatively high purity, but also requires an ultra-clean production environment, in order to minimize the impurity pollution in the production process. Most semiconductor materials are crystals, and semiconductor devices have higher requirements for the crystal integrity of the materials. In addition, there are strict requirements for the uniformity of various electrical parameters of the material.

Applications of Semiconductor Materials

1. Elemental semiconductor materials

Silicon is currently widely used. It is not only the basic material of semiconductor integrated circuits, semiconductor devices and silicon solar cells, but also electronic devices and products made of semiconductors have entered people's lives on a large scale and are used in people's household appliances. More than 80% of the electronic devices and cases are inseparable from silicon materials. Germanium is a rare element, and the content in the earth's crust is relatively small. Due to the unique properties of germanium, its application is mainly concentrated in the production of various diodes, triodes, etc. And other Qianjiang detectors made of germanium also have many advantages and are widely used in many fields.

2. Organic semiconductor materials

Organic semiconductor materials with thermally activated conductivity, such as naphthalene anthracene, polypropylene and polydivinyl benzene, and complexes of alkali metals and anthracene, organic semiconductor materials can be divided into three categories: organics, polymers, and donor-acceptor complexes . The production capacity of organic semiconductor chips and other products is poor, but they have the characteristics of convenient processing, strong durability, low cost, wear resistance and durability.

3. Amorphous semiconductor materials

The properties of the bonding force of amorphous semiconductors are divided into two categories: covalently bonded amorphous semiconductors and ionic bonded amorphous semiconductors, which can be prepared by liquid-phase fast cooling methods and vacuum vapor or sputtering methods. In industry, amorphous semiconductor materials are mainly used to prepare amorphous semiconductor devices such as sensors and thin-film transistors for solar lithium batteries.

4. Compound semiconductor materials

There are many kinds of compound semiconductor materials, which are classified according to the elements in the periodic table group, which are divided into groups 35, 26, 44, etc. Nowadays, compound semiconductor materials have occupied an important position in solar cells, optoelectronic devices, ultra-high-speed devices, microwaves and other fields, and different types have different applications. In a word, semiconductor materials are developing rapidly and have a wide range of applications. With the passage of time and the development of technology, the application of semiconductor materials will become more important and critical, and the development of semiconductor technology and semiconductor materials will also move towards a higher-end market.