Temp Dependance of Semiconductor

Temperature Dependence of Semiconductor Conductivity
Conductivity of a Semiconductor
The conductivity of a semiconductor is given by:
  q ( nn   p p)
(1)
Where µn and µp refer to the mobilities of the electrons and holes, and n and p refer to the density
of electrons and holes, respectively. A doped semiconductor, majority carriers greatly outnumber
minority carriers, so that Equation 1 can be reduced to a single term involving the majority carrier.
Effects of Temperature and Doping on Mobility of a Semiconductor

Conductivity of a material is determined by two factors: the concentration of free carriers available
to conduct current and their mobility (or freedom to move). In a semiconductor, both mobility and
carrier concentration are temperature dependent. Thus, it is important to view the conductivity as
a function of temperature which is expressed by:
 
  q  n T nT    p T pT  (2)
There are two basic types of scattering mechanisms that influence the mobility of electrons and
holes: lattice scattering and impurity scattering. We have already discussed lattice scattering in
the context of metals; we know that lattice vibrations cause the mobility to decrease with
increasing temperature.
However, the mobility of the carriers in a semiconductor is also influenced by the presence of
charged impurities. Impurity scattering is caused by crystal defects such as ionized impurities. At
lower temperatures, carriers move more slowly, so there is more time for them to interact with
charged impurities. As a result, as the temperature decreases, impurity scattering increases and
the mobility decreases. This is just the opposite of the effect of lattice scattering.
The total mobility then is the sum of the lattice-scattering mobility and the impurity-scattering
mobility. Figure 1 shows how the total mobility has a temperature at which it is a maximum. The
approximate temperature dependence of mobility due to lattice scattering is T-3/2 , while the
temperature dependence of mobility due to impurity scattering is T+3/2 (see Figure 1). In practice,
impurity scattering is typically only seen at very low temperatures. In the temperature range we
will measure, only the influence of lattice scattering will be expected.
cm2 / V s T
3
2
T
3
2
(log scale)
Impurity Lattice
scattering scattering
T(K)
(log scale)
Figure1. Approximate temperature dependence of mobility with

both lattice and impurity scattering
4.4 Temperature Dependence of Carrier Concentration

The carrier concentration in a semiconductor is also affected by temperature. The intrinsic carrier
concentration is governed by:
3
2 kT 2 * * 34 E 
ni T   2 
 h 
2 mn m p  exp  g 
2kT 
(3)
where the exponential temperature dependence dominates ni(T). To determine the total carrier
concentration, we must also consider space-charge neutrality:
2
  ni T    n2i T 
nT   N D T   N A  and: pT   N A T   N D T   (4)
nT  pT 
For a doped semiconductor, the temperature dependence of electron concentration can be seen
in Figure 2. At very low temperatures (large 1/T), negligible intrinsic electron-hole-pairs (EHPs)
exist (ni is very small), and the donor electrons are bound to the donor atoms. This is known as
the ionization (or freeze-out) region. As the temperature is raised, increased ionization occurs
and at about 100K all of the donor atoms are ionized, at which point the carrier concentration is
determined by doping. The region where every available dopant has been ionized is called the
extrinsic (or saturation) region. In this region, an increase in temperature produces no increase in
carrier concentration. Referring to Equation 4, this is the region where N D T   N D ,
N A  T   N A , and ni  T   N D  N A . At high temperatures, the thermally generated intrinsic
carriers outnumber the dopants (ni> N D  N A ). In this intrinsic region, carrier concentration
increases with temperature as shown in Equation 3 because ni has become the dominant term of
Equation 4.
Intrinsic
1017
1016
Extrinsic
1015
n0 (cm-1) Ionization
1014
1013
1012
1011
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
1000/T (K)-1
Figure 2. Carrier concentration vs. reciprocal temperature for silicon doped with 1015 donors/cm3
Temperature Dependence of Conductivity for a Semiconductor

Remember that Equation 1 showed that conductivity depends on both carrier concentration and
mobility, so there are a variety of possible temperature dependencies for conductivity. For
instance, at fairly low temperatures (less than 200K), the dominant scattering mechanism might
be impurity scattering (T3/2) while the carrier concentration is determined by extrinsic doping
(n = ND+), therefore, conductivity would be seen to increase with temperature (T3/2). Other
possibilities, depending on the material, doping, and temperature will show different temperature
dependence of conductivity. One particularly interesting case occurs at high temperatures (above
400K or higher) when carrier concentration is intrinsic (Equation 4) and mobility is dominated by
lattice scattering (T-3/2). In such cases, the conductivity can easily be shown to vary with
temperature as:
 Eg 
  exp (5)
2kT 
In this case, conductivity depends only on the semiconductor bandgap and the temperature. In
this temperature range, measured conductivity data can be used to determine the semiconductor
bandgap energy, Eg.

Temp Dependance of Semiconductor

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Temperature Dependence of Semiconductor Conductivity

Effects of Temperature and Doping on Mobility of a Semiconductor

Figure1. Approximate temperature dependence of mobility with

4.4 Temperature Dependence of Carrier Concentration

carrier concentration. Referring to Equation 4, this is the region where N D T   N D ,

N A  T   N A , and ni  T   N D  N A . At high temperatures, the thermally generated intrinsic

Temperature Dependence of Conductivity for a Semiconductor

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