Answer to Question #26597 in Electricity and Magnetism for Emmanuel Mafwenga

Question

can a compound semi-conductor be considered as extrinsic semi-conductor due to its compound form?

Answer 1

Yes of course! An extrinsic semiconductor is a semiconductor that has been doped , that is, into which a doping agent has been introduced, giving it different electrical properties than the intrinsic (pure) semiconductor.

Doping involves adding dopant atoms to an intrinsicsemiconductor, which changes the electron and hole carrier concentrations of the semiconductor at thermal equilibrium. Dominant carrier concentrations in an extrinsic semiconductor classify it as either an n-type or p-type semiconductor. The electrical properties of extrinsic semiconductors make them essential components of many electronic devices.