Change in conductance

All teclmologically important properties of semiconductors are detennined by defect-associated energy levels in the gap. The conductivity of pure semiconductors varies as g expf-A CgT), where is the gap. In most semiconductors with practical applications, the size of the gap, E 1-2 eV, makes the thennal excitation of electrons across the gap a relatively unimportant process. The introduction of shallow states into the gap through doping, with either donors or acceptors, allows for large changes in conductivity (figure C2.16.1). The donor and acceptor levels are typically a few meV below the CB and a few tens of meV above the VB, respectively. The depth of these levels usually scales with the size of the gap (see below). 

Thermocouples, bolometers and pyroelectric and semiconductor detectors are also used. The first three are basically resistance thermometers. A semiconductor detector counts photons falling on it by measuring the change in conductivity due to electrons being excited from fhe valence band info fhe conduction band. 

Resistivity measurements of doped, alpha-siUcon carbide single crystals from —195 to 725°C showed a negative coefficient of resistivity below room temperature, which gradually changed to positive above room temperature (45). The temperature at which the changeover occurred increased as the ionization of the donor impurity increased. This is beUeved to be caused by a change in conduction mechanism. 

Ion chromatography (see Section 7.4). Conductivity cells can be coupled to ion chromatographic systems to provide a sensitive method for measuring ionic concentrations in the eluate. To achieve this end, special micro-conductivity cells have been developed of a flow-through pattern and placed in a thermostatted enclosure a typical cell may contain a volume of about 1.5 /iL and have a cell constant of approximately 15 cm-1. It is claimed15 that sensitivity is improved by use of a bipolar square-wave pulsed current which reduces polarisation and capacitance effects, and the changes in conductivity caused by the heating effect of the current (see Refs 16, 17). 

It is now 20 years since the first report on the electrochemistry of an electrode coated with a conducting polymer film.1 The thousands of subsequent papers have revealed a complex mosaic of behaviors arising from the multiple redox potentials and the large changes in conductivity and ion-exchange properties that accompany their electrochemistry. 

How does the change in conductivity of a semiconductor differ from that of a metal as temperature is increased ... 

In the Beckman instrument, change in conductivity is used (28). The instrument uses 14pi for the test but samples from a cup which needs to contain at least 100 pi of serim. 

In general, the peculiarities of the surface effects in thin semiconductors, for which application of semi-infinite geometry becomes incorrect were examined in numerous papers. As it has been shown in studies [101, 113, 121 - 123] the thickness of semiconductor adsorbent becomes one of important parameters in this case. Thus, in paper [121] the relationship was deduced for the change in conductivity and work function of a thin semiconductor with weakly ionized dopes when the surface charge was available. Paper [122] examined the effect of the charge on the temperature dependence of the work function and conductivity of substantially thin adsorbents. Papers [101, 123] focused on the dependence of the surface conductivity and value of the surface charge as functions of the thickness of semiconductor and value of the surface band bending caused by adsorption and application of external field. 

Figure 3.15 shows the validity of above simplest equation for adsorption of O-atoms provided that there are different concentrations of interstitial zinc atoms on the zinc oxide surface. In case of oxygen atoms the experiment has been carried out in absence of molecular oxygen so that effect of its adsorption on change in conductivity was ruled out. O-atoms were produced by means of pyrolysis of carbon dioxide. From this figure we notice that zinc atoms (superstoichiometric) applied onto the surface of the zinc oxide film are the active centres of adsorption of... 

Additionally, it was deduced from experiments that the change in conductivity of a certain oxide (e.g., ZnO) caused by chemisorbtion of various alkyl radicals (the other experimental conditions being the same) is substantially dependent on the chemical nature of free radicals. The adsorbates can be put in the following activity row provided that the simplest alkyl radicals analyzed are ordered according to their effect on the conductivity of films made of the oxide selected ... 

Attention is fourthly focused on Figure 6.5 (D) which shows titration of potassium chloride against silver nitrate. Here, the change in conductivity on the addition of silver nitrate is minimal, as the mobilities of potassium and silver ions are of the same order and the curve is nearly horizontal. 

In principle, any type of titration can be carried out conductometrically provided that during the titration a substantial change in conductance takes place before and/or after the equivalence point. This condition can be easily fulfilled in acid-base, precipitation and complex-formation titrations and also the corresponding displacement titrations, e.g., a salt of a weak acid reacting with a strong acid or a metal in a fairly stable complex reacting with an anion to yield a very stable complex. However, for redox titrations such a condition is rarely met. 

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