Band Gap and Semiconductor Current Carriers | Intermediate Electronics

[@CircuitBread]

Hi everyone - if you want to read about this at your own pace with embedded animations, check out the tutorial on our site: www.circuitbread.com/tutorials/band-gap-and-semiconductor-current-carriers Have a great one!

[@xsraut]

I cannot describe how happy i am to understand this just before my exam. Thank you so much.😄

[@CircuitBread]

Awesome! Good luck on your exam!

[@xsraut]

@@CircuitBread thank you.

[@wajeedullahmarwat]

same i'm so confused before watching that video but when i watched it now my concept is fully clear

[@shaluyadav4952]

Same here

[@Explainer-4U]

Same here

[@Ali-iv8dp]

Three teachers around here couldn't even explain a singular minute of this as good as how you did, God bless you.

[@edgarssk]

Bravo! Finally found someone who can explain it in simple terms! You are the best!

[@Itzme-t3i]

I like the fact that I'm able to understand the whole topic in 4 mins which I was trying to do in last week. Thankyou

[@tohtorizorro]

I came here to understand band gap and got more than I hoped for. Tthe effort put purely into explaining the concept as apprehensible as possible is heart warming. I thought I'd subscribed to your channel already but was glad I wasn't so I could do it now. Awesome job, sir!

[@tohtorizorro]

BTW... in my head, I picture charge carrier holes as bubbles in water (since they're just 'empty space' in the 'actual substance'). Would you say this is a reasonable metaphor? I'm just curious why I can't recall seeing this anywhere else while some people seem to hold on to all sorts of water analogies even when the atom model might be easier to grasp.

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks for the kind comments! And yes, I think that would be a great metaphor!

[@wontawnnn]

Thank you for such a clear explanation! Straight to the point

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks! Semiconductors have never been my strong point so we were trying to make something straightforward enough that I could understand. 😄

[@X_Ye]

I finally understood what is the hole current!!! Thank you so much! I've always asked to my professor why the holes can flow and I never had a satisfied answer. It turns out to be electron current but at valence shell!

[@krishnasonswane1544]

That actually helped, i can't how much i googled it this is the first video that actually helped

[@spaceshipastro]

Thank you, the most simple and complete in same time explanintion i've ever seen

[@jennifernapoles3026]

You did such an awesome job at describing this! I appreciate these videos and hope you do more in the future! :D

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks, Jennifer!

[@saraha.k.861]

I love how simplistic and up to the point you are thank you so much!!

[@abhilashpendyala1213]

Clearly explained 🤩🤩... Those animation videos removed all my confusions and doubts that have from past many years...

[@CircuitBread]

Glad it helped out and made things more intuitive!

[@aussie4662]

i watched many videos trying to understand bands, gaps, and how that relates to electrons, but all the videos i have watched up till now miss the importance of describing WHERE the conduction band is relative to the valence band on an atom. If they leave out one little piece of information it sends you crazy trying to understand the rest. Thank you so much for your video, now I can continue.

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks Aussie! I have definitely been there before and am glad we were able to help eliminate that confusion/frustration for you!

[@nargesnaimi2696]

Really helpful! Best explanation I've come across on this topic.

[@tsegabkarta6739]

this is best, simple and easy way of teaching Band gap and semiconductor. I like your videos👍

[@augustinegeorge633]

I had a hard time understanding this concept. This helped a lot. Thanks

[@agnasaji5428]

Still creating a bang !After 5 years tooo..... Thanks a lot.....

[@NishC300]

Wow! The way you explained it so simply and visually was incredible! Thanks a lot for making this, you really cleared up a lot of confusion I had.

[@CircuitBread]

Awesome, glad to hear it helped!

[@perseveranceokpara7535]

Thanks for the video. Simple, plain and short.

[@pramukhgupta7017]

Amazing video! Cleared the hole concept

[@WightAvarice]

These videos are fantastic! Why haven't I seen you before now?! Thank you

[@MultiKydd]

Very good explanation. Crystal clear.

[@EvelynnandArt]

I'm currently looking into Thermal generators and conductors, this video is very awsome your sound quality is ver nice and you speak very freely i love this video pls make more you should have an way bigger audience with this Video Quality and information

[@CircuitBread]

Thank you!

[@mevyn6969]

Amazingly clear explanation. Thank you

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks Mevyn!

[@abo-malek.]

Is there a practical experience with passing an electric current through a silicon chip doped with boron? P_ type

[@xor8979]

you are a great teacher ...........no words to say...thankyou...................so..... much..............dint understand when watched many videos..but only this made me know.........thankyou.......😁😁😁🤩🤩🤩

[@hairlesswookieofhoth3574]

Subscribed and liked bro good vid... I already know a bit about band Gap and transparency, just trying to refresh. Came across a vid about it from an English bloke and he was explaining with plastic balls from a kids play place... I found your vid right after.. you ever notice that Brits are smarter and more informed than the average person here, but I think that our best of the best outshine over here

[@CircuitBread]

Glad to be of service! I think I watch so much BBC television that I don't even notice accents now unless I'm consciously thinking about it. As for comparing the US to Great Britain, I'm not gutsy enough to jump into that conversation! 😂

[@iremalpaslan2176]

i am soooooo glad to find you. thanks, you saved my life

[@CircuitBread]

Hi Irem - glad we could help!

[@nilabh40]

Thank you ❤️ 2days before exam searching for a animated video to understand semiconductor 😂♥️♥️

[@NCHINTASANTHISRI]

Thank u sir. This video cleared my doubts on hole current

[@preethisri-f9u]

Thank you for clarifying my doubts.........

[@Constantine808]

Nice explained sir🙏🙏🙏 I understood it very clearly and thanks for clearing my doubt. Sir Love from India ❤️

[@CircuitBread]

You're welcome!!

[@muratklc4652]

very nice visual explanation thanks

[@supremeworlok7631]

Very well explained. Thank you!

[@bryanchisembele6603]

YOU ARE HEAVEN SENT.. THANKYOU SOO MUCH

[@oyindamolaoluyemi7435]

I am wo happy I watched this. Thanks so so much.

[@Sohaila500]

thanks for this simple explaning

[@maryfucci3131]

Thank you for making this video!

[@sikyfushvanti3605]

2:48 then what will be attracted to negativr end of the voltage?

[@CircuitBread]

On hand, nothing. On the other hand, that nothingness is sometimes represented as holes. Which is the absence of electrons. So, nothing.

[@SAURAVSINGH-mr1mq]

Awesome video, it was so helpful 😀 💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@mariannejasmijn8656]

Excellent explanation!

[@isr1825]

such a good teacher and explanation mate.

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks Iñigo! I appreciate the feedback!

[@olugbamipeter2100]

I never know how holes were produced until i see this video

[@bigoriginal1985]

So will hole current still be present if no voltage source is applied? I understand it still needs some energy as mentioned but is that provided by the temperature or a voltage source?

[@CircuitBread]

You'll get what's called diffusion current when there's no voltage source ( www.circuitbread.com/ee-faq/what-is-the-difference-between-drift-and-diffusion-currents-in-a-semiconductor ) and it will be both hole and electron current. There are two factors to consider, though. One, whether there are any free carriers - which is dependent on temperature and doping, allowing electrons and holes to move around. And then if there are free carriers you have the second factor. And that is if there are forces causing those free carriers to move, which is either diffusion or a voltage source.

[@CodewizardSumit]

Awesome explaination ❣️

[@delowarhossain5786]

very clear presentation, I like it.

[@tasmiyasana1257]

Thank you very much for the clear and precise explanation. 😊

[@CircuitBread]

You're welcome!

[@ravipaswan8597]

Who else waited for the bread to pop out till the end

[@tarushibuddhini2429]

Amazing explaination🤗🤗🤗🙌👍

[@bridgetchalo2977]

Amazing very nice explanation have finally understood

[@CircuitBread]

Awesome!

[@stem6109]

Thank you so much for your amazing explanation!!!

[@nicholasminnella3286]

Thank you for this! If one wanted to get a better intuition of the quite literal physics of how information is captured and stored, let's say in the example of taking a video on your computer, to transmitting it across cyberspace to a friend thousands of miles away and then how it is then received and translated so it can be seen/heard by the friend, do you have any suggestions on books, online reading material or even videos or channels which might cover it on a more intuitive level (while still be rather detailed)? Would much appreciate your insight! Thank you!

[@diksha8347]

THANK YOU FOR VISUALIZATION

[@BestWeeb-s6k]

so if i am right free electron moves and create holes while other electrons fill the hole and that is how the current ae transpoted?

[@akhizaib]

In my book, this theory was explained like a shit. I was so worried about it BUT thanks to you I understood this theory very well. Thank you so much for this video. 🤗🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂❤❤❤

[@peppylocker1023]

That was very helpful. Thank you

[@Educatefirst]

Great work, helped lot. thank you

[@AJ-fo3hp]

Holes(vacant space) in valence band Near by electron in valence band moves to make current in valence band

[@mrv405]

Concise and clear !!!! THANK YOU!

[@majdsaleh_]

Thanks buddy

[@thaisgguerra]

Thank you for great explanation, it helped me a lot! :)

[@CircuitBread]

Fantastic - I'm glad it helped!

[@c.g.6325]

This is such an awesome video!

[@KaladarSTUCHH-]

When there are equal number of free electrons and holes will it be classified as electron flow or hole flow? During electron flow it will also create hole flow right? when hole flow it will also be electron flow right? How do define whether something is electron flow or hole flow?

[@judeoludunmade837]

very nice explanation thank you circuit board

[@Abdelrahman_Hosny]

clear and direct

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks!

[@nusyil]

Great job mate! Thanks a lot!

[@hematitic]

I might have missed it but does the conduction band show up anywhere in the Bohr model/diagram? I feel like it appeared in this video without being introduced.

[@CircuitBread]

The conduction band is based on the Bohr model, but it wasn't touched on in this video. I've considered doing another video focusing on that, but I would need to get back to Dr. Campbell for her specialist help because I know I couldn't explain it well enough with my current understanding.

[@rohnejati6354]

Hello, I am a bit confused. I was under the impression that ironic bonding result in crystal structure not covalent bonding because covalent bonding creates molecules.

[@hsnade_2004]

Us the band gap big or the electrons or the bound is strong between the electron and the nuclei

[@ahmadsohib9410]

Could you explain how to define CBM and VBM when a trap state or a middle state is generated in the band gap?

[@spr1ng21]

where is the conduction and valence band located in an atom??

[@teresafernandes7440]

Amazing work!

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks Teresa!

[@Rishu_m9s]

Well said

[@Rishu_m9s]

Hey! does your syllabus matches with ours CBSE? By the way in which standard do you study?

[@mrshodz]

Great video. But, what do you mean by giving electrons energy? How do you define energy?

[@luiscarrillo8247]

Great for test review! Also, a Fermi level video would come in handy

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks Luis! Y'know, we talked about doing a Fermi level video but didn't think there was quite enough content to create a video out of it. So Susie put together a quick overview on our website, let me know what you think: www.circuitbread.com/ee-faq/whats-fermi-level-and-why-is-it-important-in-a-semiconductor

[@imempire69]

Thanks sir🤩 But I was wandering is the conducting band always means free electron?

[@S73IN]

Very helpful explanation. Thanks!

[@kallapellydeepthi4772]

Sir explain about direct and indirect Band gap in semiconductor

[@unknown_5888]

Thanks man lots of love from India

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks!

[@tau098]

this was so clear! thank you

[@CircuitBread]

Awesome, glad to hear it helped!

[@Kritika_Dhiman]

Hi i want to know how forbidden energy gap is formed between valence band and conduction band

[@CircuitBread]

Hi Kriti! That is more of a chemistry level question but it has to do with the valence band of the material. It's a combination of electrons having only discrete energy levels and how much energy is required to pull that outermost electron away from the atom.

[@bic1349]

Great explanation!

[@sabaresand7309]

Hi, Thank you very much for your explanation, I understood the valence band is the outermost shell of an atom, then what is exactly the conduction band, is it one of the shells of an atom? or where the free electrons are present that we call C.B?

[@CircuitBread]

The conduction band is made up of electrons that are NOT firmly attached to any atoms but just kinda "float" around in what is considered a "sea of electrons". Hopefully that clarifies things!

[@mubeenaslam5604]

What is difference between narrow band gap and wider band gap in semiconductor?

[@fernandocampos1369]

if enough energy is supplied to the system, is it possible for there to be no hole-current because all valence electrons are promoted into the conduction band?

[@CircuitBread]

I'd like to start by saying my confidence level on my answers is only moderate - please don't consider this as definitive. I imagine it's theoretically possible but I think that in most real-life cases there would still be at least a small amount of hole current. The only way to completely eliminate hole current would be to eliminate all holes.

[@oim8254]

Since current is known to oppose movement of electron, does this mean that both hole current and electron current have the same direction, the only difference being what type of current carrier involved?

[@CircuitBread]

Nope! It means that, comparing the macro and micro level - hole current and "normal current" are in the same direction and electron current and "normal current" are opposite. Does that make sense?

[@zarksir1423]

The thing i don't understand is where is the condition band and why you don't drew it in the bor atom

[@fayVR]

Hello, thanks for the video! I have a question . Do valence band electrons still belong to specific atoms? Because my book states that the electrons do not belong to any particular atom but I found this definition online : valence band is the range of permissible energy values that are the highest energies an electron can have and still be associated with a particular atom of a solid material. Thanks in advance!

[@CircuitBread]

Great question! I worked with a PhD in chemistry (her Masters is in EE) and she helped us with the accuracy in these videos but I wouldn't consider myself, personally, as a definitive resource. That being said, when working with her, we addressed valence electrons as still being associated with a specific atom. However, the bond is so loose, that people will often consider them to be completely unassociated - I've heard the phrase "sea of electrons" to envision them just floating among the different atoms. I wonder if the biggest difference is one of charge - while the electrons aren't physically associated with a specific atom, there is an electron for each atom to maintain a neutral charge.

[@fayVR]

@@CircuitBread Thank you for your quick response!

[@thecodelogin]

Can U Please Make A Breif Video About How Band Gap Develops In Any Atom Or Material With 2 To 3 Example.! I'll be Grateful.!

[@sikyfushvanti3605]

so conduction band is just an energy level inside valence shell(outermost shell) and the electrons present in the conduction band are called free electrons? Not the valence shell electrons?

[@CircuitBread]

A couple issues here - the bands are a way to represent the trillions of atoms with electrons at different energy levels in a way that we can understand. So the conduction band is not an energy level inside a valence shell, the conduction band represents all of the energy levels of the free electrons. Then the valence band represents all those electrons in the valence shells of the atoms.

[@denisleo9069]

Thank you for your videos. The presentation is really nice and it makes me curious about the other videos ! :D I still have a question if you have time. Why large band gap semiconductors like SiC are better than Si ? I mean if a narrow band gap needs less energy to make the electrons goes into the conduction band, why SiC would be better than Si as SiC has a larger band gap ?

[@CircuitBread]

That's a great question and one that I'd rather refer you to a good article rather than try and explain it in a KZbin comment. I recommend going to: www.wolfspeed.com/knowledge-center/article/importance-of-silicon-carbide-wide-bandgap I don't know who this company is but they have a good explanation on this topic. I hope it helps!

[@denisleo9069]

@@CircuitBread Thank you for your answer and I hope that your channel will work as good as you want :)

[@naushadahmadmansuree]

Nicely Explained sir

[@ぎんた-s4o]

0:59 I think Right→to jump from the conduction band to valence band

[@CircuitBread]

Yep! Probably should've been clear that it's the energy required to move up or the energy lost when moving down. Works both ways!

[@ぎんた-s4o]

CircuitBread Oh I made a big mistake. I confused English word with Japanese one and remembered the meaning of those words in reverse. I’m looking forward to your next video! Thank you:)

[@CircuitBread]

@@ぎんた-s4o No problem - thanks for watching and glad you're enjoying the videos!

[@BrandBookUS]

I am trying to create an animated display explaining semiconductors for a computer museum. I'm worse than a novice, I'm just a curious bystander. I am trying to get an idea how many doped atoms have to be introduced into a silicon crystal to optimize its semiconducting characteristics. one out of five? one out of a thousand? is there any particular pattern to the where the boron or gallium molecules fit into the silicon lattice? If you can point us to any resources, we would be greatly appreciative. Keep up the great work!

[@CircuitBread]

Good questions! The dopant level can vary greatly but you're probably looking in the range of 1 out of 10,000 to 1 out of 100,000. Just to give a *very* rough range. I remember being caught off-guard in college by the dopant levels because they're almost non-existent in terms of the numbers we use in "normal" life yet somehow make a huge difference in how the material operates. In regards to there being a particular pattern, there isn't one that I'm aware of. I think it's fairly random. And sorry, I don't have any specific reference that I would recommend for these more in-depth questions though Wikipedia is always a good place to start!

[@soulimanemammar2909]

Nice!! I'm wondering... those free electrons in the conduction band are they jumping from atom to atom or still orbiting there original atoms??

[@CircuitBread]

The ones in the conduction band are moving freely among the atoms, basically in that "sea of electrons" - so not even jumping from atom to atom but more just operating as completely independent entities. Then when there's an outside force acting on them (creating diffusion and drift currents), they just move.

[@soulimanemammar2909]

@@CircuitBread Thanks

[@BBonBon]

Isn't hole current and electron the same though in a way? Because like a hole moving to the left is the same as an electron moving to the right?

[@CircuitBread]

Yep, it's kinda weird that way, right? I don't know how much it'll help your understanding but one difference is that with electron current, it is the same electron that is moving the entire time. With hole current, one electron moves and then stays in the old hole, while another electron moves and then stays in that spot, etc.

[@BBonBon]

@@CircuitBread right that makes sense Thank you!

[@dondedios1562]

im gratful with your explaination :)

[@sikyfushvanti3605]

atomic shells are further divided into more discrete energy shells called s,p,d and f. Is conduction band among these discrete energy levels?

[@CircuitBread]

The conduction band is more general, representing an enormous amount of atoms and the energy states of their highest level electrons. The discrete energy shells you mention are part of the underlying theory, and very important to the creation of these bands, but as engineers, we typically don't worry about knowing what the discrete energy shells are called when we're working on electronics.

[@shadeff257]

What is a conduction band ?

[@mithilachakraborty9482]

Sir, is the electron Current and hole current occurring simultaneously whn semiconductor is used in circuit?

[@CircuitBread]

Hi Mithila, yes, it is occurring simultaneously but most of the time, one of the current types is dominant - either a lot more electron current or a lot more hole current.

[@mithilachakraborty9482]

@@CircuitBread Thank you so much!