Answer to Question #82918 in Electric Circuits for Kainat shah

Question

Explain how a hole moves through a p semiconductor, remembering that the impurity atoms are very far apart

Answer 1

A hole is absence of an electron. Imagine a long corridor with long line of lamps on its ceiling. All lamps are turned on. Now imagine that the very first lamp is turned off, then it turns on, but at this moment the second lamp turns off and so on. You’ll see the motion despite the fact that it is made by absence of light.

In a p-type semiconductor a hole - this absence of electron - moves similarly due to electric field or radiation or lighting.