Silicon Materials

Silicon semiconductors are widely used in various electrical appliances. Silicon is present in great abundance on earth(Second most abundant after oxygen) in rock, sand, trees, and water, mainly in compounds with oxygen and aluminium. 

There are many semiconductor materials like gallium and germanium arsenide, but silicon semiconductors are used primarily because of their stable nature and abundance. 

Extracted and purified form of silicon single crystal structure is of extreme purity(99.99999999999%), which is used in most integrated circuits for the streamline flow of current with the least resistance to silicon semiconductors.

Chemical structure of Silicon single crystal

The basic arrangement of atoms in a crystal lattice has an arrangement of atoms in order in a three-dimensional structure. The single crystal of Silicon has a structure in which atoms are continuous and in an orderly arrangement. In a continuous arrangement, a diamond cubic crystal consists of 8 atoms in a repeating pattern. A single semiconductor atom is surrounded by four neighboring silicon atoms, making four bonds. Due to the ultra-stability of Silicon, it is widely considered the most precious semiconductor material. 

Working with silicon semiconductors in various conditions 

Silicon semiconductors can work at a maximum temperature of 150 degrees Celsius. At the same time, other semiconductors cannot reach a temperature of half of it. At absolute zero temperature, a silicon semiconductor is an insulator. With the increase in temperature, thermal energy will make the silicon bonds accessible, and electrons will make the energy and electricity flow.

Pure monocrystalline Silicon, a poor conductor of electricity, is used as a mechanical support in integrated circuits. Because of the poor conduction of pure Silicon, it is doped with some impurities, which increases the energy band and gap between it, which causes materials of the energy band gap of 2eV to influence the semiconductor material, Silicon. In addition, those semiconductor materials are suitable for high power mechanics and high-temperature appliances.

The best silicon semiconductor material widely produced and used in industries is SiC(silicon carbide) because it has an energy band gap of 3.03eV.

Two types of semiconductor materials are there, which are p-type and n-type. Silicon semiconductors are mostly made P-type by adding trivalent impurity acceptor to tetravalent Silicon, which will form a covalent bond with three Si atoms. The hole is formed in the crystal lattice of Silicon which is positively charged and free to move and responsible for the conduction of electricity. 

Essential applications of Silicon semiconductor materials

1. The semiconductor material of Silicon is vastly and widely used in electrical appliances because of many advantages like long life cycle and easy Reproduction in industries. With a tremendous economic production, a lightweight structure, simple production, low power supply, and excellent mechanical strength, Silicon semiconductors are preferable in every electrical appliance.
2. The photovoltaic cells, which are used in solar panels all over the globe and in various industries and buildings, require Silicon for their construction(98%).
3. PN junction diode is made up by binding the semiconductor crystal diode of P-type and N-type semiconductors, which is again made from Silicon by adding the required impurity.
4. Supplied voltage polarity to the rectifier will decide if the energy bandgap will increase or decrease, resulting in resistance increasing or decreasing, which eventually will decide whether the PN junction diode will conduct the electricity.
5. Voltage-dependent resistors, which are nonlinear resistors, are made up of SiC (Silicon Carbide), also used as varistors.
6. Transistors, microchips, and microprocessors are also made up of silicon-based transistors.
7. Silicon semiconductors have gained more popularity due to the factor that they can withstand the high temperature and power mechanism also the low power and temperature mechanism without suffering from avalanche breakdown(caused due to heat production, which in turn cause free electron and holes to move, which eventually increases the current pass).

While germanium semiconductor materials oxide is soluble in water, silicon semiconductor oxides are not soluble in water, giving some advantage to Silicon in some fabrication processes in various industries.

Conclusion

Various types of semiconductor materials are available on earth, including the first one, which was used, germanium but silicon semiconductors are now used as the primary element in integrating circuits, microprocessors, transistors, etc. The industry will use the readily available product and is good in some other essential factors like economic value, power supply, and low maintenance, even if it is a small electrical appliance that costs around 1 dollar or an expensive electrical appliance that costs more than 100-dollar silicon is used in almost all of them thus making silicon semiconductors most used semiconductors all over the globe. Silicon semiconductors are stable because of four bonds that structure the crystal lattice, making them usable in high and low-temperature conditions.