Semiconductors, doped, transport

Nanoclusters/Polymer Composites. The principle for developing a new class of photoconductive materials, consisting of charge-transporting polymers such as PVK doped with semiconductor nanoclusters, sometimes called nanoparticles, Q-particles, or quantum dots, has been demonstrated (26,27). 

Semiconducting Ceramics. Most oxide semiconductors are either doped to create extrinsic defects or annealed under conditions in which they become non stoichiometric. Although the resulting defects have been carefully studied in many oxides, the precise nature of the conduction is not well understood. Mobihty values associated with the various charge transport mechanisms are often low and difficult to measure. In consequence, reported conductivities are often at variance because the effects of variable impurities and past thermal history may overwhelm the dopant effects. 

Investigation of direct conversion of methane to transportation fiiels has been an ongoing effort at PETC for over 10 years. One of our current areas of research is the conversion of methane to methanol, under mild conditions, using li t, water, and a semiconductor photocatalyst. Research in our laboratory is directed toward ad ting the chemistry developed for photolysis of water to that of methane conversion. The reaction sequence of interest uses visible light, a doped tungsten oxide photocatalyst and an electron transfer molecule to produce a hydroxyl i cal. Hydroxyl t cal can then react with a methane molecule to produce a methyl radical. In the preferred reaction pathway, the methyl radical then reacts with an additional wata- molecule to produce methanol and hydrogen. 

The electronic band structure of a neutral polyacetylene is characterized by an empty band gap, like in other intrinsic semiconductors. Defect sites (solitons, polarons, bipolarons) can be regarded as electronic states within the band gap. The conduction in low-doped poly acetylene is attributed mainly to the transport of solitons within and between chains, as described by the intersoliton-hopping model (IHM) . Polarons and bipolarons are important charge carriers at higher doping levels and with polymers other than polyacetylene. 

Charge transport through an array of semiconductor nanocrystals is strongly affected by the electronic structure of nanocrystal surfaces. It is possible to control the type of conductivity and doping level of quantum dot crystals by adsorbing/desorbing molecular species at the nanocrystal surface. As an... 

N. K. Dutta, Radiative Transitions in GaAs and Other III-V Compounds R. K. Ahrenkiel, Minority-Carrier Lifetime in III-V Semiconductors T. Furuta, High Field Minority Electron Transport in p-GaAs M. S. Lundstrom, Minority-Carrier Transport in III-V Semiconductors R A. Abram, Elfects of Heavy Doping and High Excitation on the Band Structure of GaAs D. Yevick and W. Bardyszewski, An Introduction to Non-Equilibrium Many-Body Analyses of Optical Processes in III-V Semiconductors... 

Electronic conduction in crystalline semiconductors (except for the case of extremely high doping levels or very low temperatures) invariably involves motion in extended states. However, because of the high densities of defect centers, the possibility exists for transport by direct tunneling between localized states. 

Perhaps not so very well suitable Thus, semiconductor electrodes exhibit limiting currents that arise from the transport of the charge carrier inside the semiconductor. In practice, this means that it is difficult to get current densities above -1 mA cm-2 at moderately doped semiconductors. No such limitation occurs with metals that have roughly l electron per atom free to move under an electron field gradient. The limiting currents that arise with metals are due to the limitation in supply of materials in the solution. 

In the discussions of semiconductors and electrochemistry in this section, it has been assumed that the sole source of electrons and holes that are transported to the interface to take part in electrode reactions is the electrons injected into the conduction band from doping (n-type) and holes made in the valence band by doping for p-type. In the latter, holes migrate to the electrode surface to receive electrons from ions in the solution. 

Figure 10. Heavy (n+) doping of n-type semiconductors or heavy (p+) doping of p-type semiconductors near grain boundaries introduce barriers that reduce transport of minority carriers to the...

The specific application of a material generally determines the particular structure desired. For example, hydrogenated amorphous silicon is used for solar cells and some specialized electronic devices (10). Because of their higher carrier mobility (see Carrier Transport, Generation, and Recombination), single-crystalline elemental or compound semiconductors are used in the majority of electronic devices. Polycrystalline metal films and highly doped polycrystalline films of silicon are used for conductors and resistors in device applications. 

The boron atom contains an electron hole or an electron vacancy. In order to fill this vacancy, the doped atom takes up an electron from the mother material (arrow). In this way a new vacancy is formed in the valence band, et cetera. The additional electrons in the energy level of the doped atoms enable conduction to take place. This conduction is the transport of vacancies. A vacancy has a shortage of one electron and is thus positively charged. That is why this semiconductor is of the / -type. 

---