Question

In a semiconductor, current conduction is due to _________.

Answer 1

Hint: To answer this question, we first need to understand what semiconductors are. The electrical conductivity of a semiconductor material is between that of a conductor, such as metallic copper, and that of an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity decreases as the temperature rises, whereas metals have the reverse effect.

Complete answer:
Holes: An electron hole is the absence of an electron in an atom or atomic lattice, as defined in physics, chemistry, and electronic engineering. Holes are quasiparticles rather than particles, and they differ from the positron, which is the electron's antiparticle. Because the negative charge of the electrons is balanced by the positive charge of the atomic nuclei in a typical atom or crystal lattice, the absence of one electron leaves a net positive charge at the hole's site.

Electrons: The electron is a subatomic particle with the symbol e or with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons are the first generation of lepton particles, and they are considered elementary particles because they have no known components or substructure.

Holes and Electrons in Semiconductors:In semiconductors, charge carriers such as holes and electrons are responsible for current flow. Electrons are negatively charged particles, whereas holes are positively charged electric charge carriers.

Electrons and holes have the same mass but have the opposite polarity.Both holes and electrons contribute to current conduction in semiconductors.In p-type materials, holes outnumber free electrons, and they make up the majority of carriers. The majority of carriers in N-type are free electrons.

So, we conclude that, in a semiconductor, current conduction is due to both holes and electrons.

Note:Neutrons are the neutrally charged particles in an atom. They aren't like protons in that they aren't positive. They aren't like electrons in that they aren't negative.But don't let that fool you into believing they're unimportant. Every component of an atom has a significant impact on how the atom performs and behaves.