Question

Which of the following is a semiconductor?
A). Constantan
B). Porcelain
C). Silicon
D). Germanium

Answer 1

Hint: Semiconductors mainly consist of covalent bonds. Two atoms share a single electron. Semiconductors have conductivity ranging in between that of conductors and insulators. Elements from group IV of periodic table usually act as semiconductors..

Complete step by step answer
Usually the position of the electrons is fixed by this bond and is usually surrounded by atoms. Usually at absolute zero temperature the electron will not have enough energy to get excited and thus will act as an insulator as there are no free electrons to conduct. But at room temperature or higher temperature the electrons get enough energy to break the bond and help in conduction. Electrons now become free to move around in the crystal lattice.
Band gap is defined as the minimum energy required for exciting the electron from bound state to free state. By doping the conductivity of semiconductors can be increased. Semiconductors are basically of two types. They are intrinsic semiconductors and extrinsic semiconductors. Intrinsic semiconductors materials are chemically pure, that is they have no impurity. They also have equal no of electrons and holes. They have low conductivity. Extrinsic semiconductors are made using adding certain impurities to intrinsic semiconductors. The doping uses elements from a different group. Based on the majority carries of semiconductors there are two types of extrinsic semiconductor.
Group IV elements like silicon and germanium have some examples of semiconductors.
The correct answer is D
Additional Information:
Semiconductor devices are widely used in electronic devices like diodes, transistors, integrated circuits etc. These devices have given certain advantages like compactness reliability etc. The efficiency and reliability are some of the other features due to which these devices have wide application. They are mainly used in power devices, optical sensors etc.

Note: Semiconductors have conductivity ranging in between that of conductors and insulators. The atoms in a semiconductor are materials from group IV of the periodic table. It can be also formed as the combination of group III and group V or as a combination of group II and group VI.