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Why the breakdown voltage of silicon is 0.7V whereas for germanium it is 0.3V?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
because germanium has lower energy gap between conduction and valence bands
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
The difference in breakdown voltage between silicon (0.7V) and germanium (0.3V) is mainly due to their different band gap energies. Silicon has a larger band gap compared to germanium, resulting in a higher breakdown voltage. This means that silicon can withstand a higher voltage before breaking down compared to germanium.
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Why is Copper a good conductor and how is it's structure different from silicon and germanium?
The reason why copper is a good conductor is because there are a lot of free electrons that can carry the flowing current efficiently. These free electrons do not remain permanently associated with the copper atoms, instead they form an electron ‘cloud’ around the outside of the atom and are free to move through the solid quickly. http://web1.caryacademy.org/chemistry/rushin/StudentProjects/ElementWebSites/copper/uses_of_copper.htm
What are the differences between Silicon Dioxide and Diamond?
Silicon dioxide is a compound composed of silicon and oxygen atoms, while diamond is a pure form of carbon arranged in a crystalline structure. Diamond is the hardest naturally occurring material, while silicon dioxide is not as hard. Additionally, diamond is a valuable gemstone, whereas silicon dioxide is commonly found in materials like sand and quartz.
Why silicon has a higher melting point than silicon tetrachloride?
Silicon has a higher melting point than silicon tetrachloride because silicon atoms are held together by strong covalent bonds, whereas silicon tetrachloride molecules are held together by weaker van der Waals forces. The covalent bonds in silicon are stronger and require more energy to break, resulting in a higher melting point.
Do boron and silicon have similar chemical properties?
Boron and silicon have some similarities in their chemical properties as both are metalloids with some characteristics of metals and nonmetals. They both form covalent compounds and have semiconducting properties. However, they also have distinct differences, such as boron's tendency to act as a Lewis acid and form trigonal planar structures, whereas silicon tends to form tetrahedral structures.
Is diamond a silicate?
No, diamond is not a silicate. Diamond is composed of carbon atoms arranged in a crystal lattice structure, whereas silicates contain silicon and oxygen atoms in their chemical composition.
Why the graph of breakdown voltage is cheaper than knee voltage?
Break down voltages happens at low voltages (.6 for silicon & .3 for germanium), whereas knee voltages at higher voltages. That's why its cheaper.
What is the cut in voltage of germanium and silicon diodes?
cut in voltage *** for silicon is 0.7volts and that for germanium is 0.3volts.According to Millman and Taub, "Pulse, Digital and Switching Waveforms", McGraw-Hill 1965, the cutin (or offset, break-point or threshold) voltage for a silicon diode is 0.6, and 0.2 for germanium.Breakdown voltage is another thing entirely. It is the reverse voltage at which the junction will break down.
Compare the characteristics of a silicon and germanium diode?
Potential barrier of silicon is 0.7, whereas potential barrier of germanium is 0.3
Why silicon prefer to germiniuam?
Four reasons. First, it is a LOT cheaper and easier to get silicon. Germanium is a trace element in rocks. You need to mine and process lots of rock to get any germanium. Silicon is also known as sand--very easy to find. Second, germanium is heat sensitive. It's harder to solder a germanium device in than a silicon one because the heat can mess up the germanium. Germanium devices pretty much have to be soldered in by hand because you have to heat sink them, whereas silicon devices can be soldered in a soldering machine. Third, germanium's hazardous and silicon is generally not. People eat off glass plates, which are made from silicon. They do NOT eat from germanium plates, if they could even afford them. And fourth, germanium has a variable voltage drop--the higher the voltage, the greater the drop. If you pump 5000 volts into a silicon diode, you're going to get 4999.3v out the other side.
Why is silicon is preferred is germanium?
Silicon is actually preferred to germanium within the manufacture of semiconductor devices due to the following reasons:Silicon is cheap and abundantIn silicon, leakage current is less affected by temperature as compared to germanium.The leakage current in silicon is very very small as compared to germanium.The working temperature of silicon is more than that of germanium. The working junction temperature of silicon can go as high as 150C whereas the working junction temperature of germanium can only go as high as 60CSilicon dioxide is a stable insoluble solid that can be used both to electrically insulate circuitry and to passivate junctions preventing contamination (allowing use of inexpensive plastic packages), germanium dioxide is a crumbly water soluble solid (this requires all germanium devices to be packaged in expensive metal or glass hermetically sealed cases and making germanium integrated circuits almost impossible)
Will a zener diode work the same as a germanium diode?
No. An ordinary diode, be it silicon or germanium, conducts in one direction only, whereas a zener diode conducts in both directions, but at different voltages. An ordinary diode is used to rectify, using its forward bias characteristics, while a zener diode is used to regulate, using its reverse bias characteristics.
Why Silicon is used widely as a semiconducting material?
AnswerSilicon is abundant in nature as SiO2(sand).Getting the Si from SiO2 is comparatively easier than other semiconductors like Ge.And Silicon is a better conductor at room temperature.valence electron in germanium are in fourth shell whereas on silicon valence electron is in third shell.germanium valence electron are at higher energy level than silicon .hence germanium valence electron will need smaller amount of energy to escape form the atom due to this germanium more number of electron pair than silicon . hence leakage current is more.this property makes germanium more unstable at high temperature.
Why silicon is preferred over germanium as a semiconductor?
The oxide of silicon is a stable insulating insoluble solid, making it possible to integrate the metal interconnects in planar layers over the semiconductor. The oxide of germanium is unstable and soluble in water, making it necessary to connect the integrated components with individual wires which is far too labor intensive and is also impractical for integration levels beyond MSI. Texas Instruments made some prototype SSI germanium ICs this way in 1958 and 1959 but abandoned the process when they licensed Fairchild's planar silicon IC process. No ICs are made of germanium now, only discrete transistors and diodes. Some work has been done on ICs made of silicon-germanium alloy, but I am not sure of the current status.
Why only silicon in IC fabrication?
Transistors require semiconductor material to be able to function since a transistor must be able to change it's state of conductivity according to its working conditions. Although many elements these days are involved in manufacturing of transistors. Fundamentally two common semiconductors are described for educational purpose for BJT (bipolar junction transistors). They are Silicon (Si) and Germanium (Ge). Silicon is never intrinsic (pure) in transistors. To form a p-n-p or n-p-n junction they are doped with pentavalent (5 valance electrons) and trivalent (3-valance electrons) impurities into their crystal lattice. Common impurities in silicon transistors may be trivalent Boron for p-type and pentavalent phosphorus for n-type. Germanium conducts better when in conductive state than silicon due to 32 electrons per atom, but due to high electron density the device can handle very little electrical current. Germanium was used in the past for pre-amplifiers. Silicon does not have as good conductivity and also does not provide very high hfe values. The highest hfe value you will find in signal transistors would be approximately 300, whereas power transistors you would commonly have an hfe of about 25. Silicon only has 14 electrons per atom. The main advantage is with silicon is that it has a lower electron density when it is in conductive state; to allow larger currents and higher power dissipation. In the past, difficulty was experienced with the practical use of silicon due to its lack of 'purity'. Once a purer form of silicon was produced, there was no stop to it. Silicon is more cost effective. In 1998 silicon sold for $10 p/kg compared to germanium which was almost at $1800 p/kg. Germanium is showing some comeback again. Gallium arsenide (GaAs) in wireless communications devices are being replaced with Silicon-germanide (SiGe) and become more useful with modern high speed integrated circuits. Germanium is also commonly used in infrared night vision systems and fiber-optics. Ultimately one cannot say that Silicon is the only element used in transistors, but what one can say is that it is probably the most commonly used and most fundamental for modern applications.
What is the comaprison of felsic and mafic?
Felsic minerals are Silicon-rich; whereas Mafic ones are low in Silicon, but contain Iron and Magnesium.
Which is more metallic aluminum or silicon?
Aluminum is more metallic than silicon. Aluminum is a good conductor of electricity, whereas silicon is a semiconductor. Aluminum is also more ductile and malleable compared to silicon.
Why is Copper a good conductor and how is it's structure different from silicon and germanium?
The reason why copper is a good conductor is because there are a lot of free electrons that can carry the flowing current efficiently. These free electrons do not remain permanently associated with the copper atoms, instead they form an electron ‘cloud’ around the outside of the atom and are free to move through the solid quickly. http://web1.caryacademy.org/chemistry/rushin/StudentProjects/ElementWebSites/copper/uses_of_copper.htm
