Ge has higher electron and hole mobility and because of this Ge devices can function up to a higher frequency than Si devices. The germanium diode is also superior to silicon diode in terms of energy loss, current loss, etc. The Ge diode loses only 0.3-0.4 a volt while a silicon diode loses about 0.6-0.7 volts.
Why silicon diode is better than germanium?
At room temperature, Silicon crystal has fewer free electrons than Germanium crystal. ... However, Silicon crystals are not easily damaged by excess heat. Peak Inverse Voltage ratings of Silicon diodes are greater than Germanium diodes. Si is less expensive due to the greater abundance of element.
Is silicon better than germanium?
Why is silicon usually preferred to germanium in the manufacture of semiconductor devices? Silicon is abundant on the earth’s surface and therefore cheaper than germanium . The PIV (Peak Inverse Voltage) rating of silicon is much higher than germanium and therefore can withstand much higher temperatures than germanium.
Why is silicon used instead of germanium?
Silicon crystals have fewer free electrons than germanium crystals at room temperature , which is why silicon crystals are used for semiconductor devices. In general, the ICBO of germanium is 10-100 times greater than that of silicon, but the variation of ICBo at any temperature is lower for silicon than for germanium.
What is the difference between germanium and silicon diode?
A Silicon Diode is a semiconductor that has both positive and negative charge polarity and can allow an electrical current to flow in one direction whilst restricting another. A Germanium Diode works in the same way but has a low forward voltage which results in it being a low power loss and an efficient diode.
Why band gap of silicon is more than germanium?
The electrons in the silicon atoms are more tightly bound to the nucleus than the electrons of the germanium atom due to its small size . This is the reason why the band gap of silicon is more than that of germanium.
What are the advantages of germanium?
Advantages of Germanium Detectors
Germanium is preferred due to its atomic number being much higher than silicon and which increases the probability of gamma ray interaction . Germanium has lower average energy necessary to create an electron-hole pair, which is 3.6 eV for silicon and 2.9 eV for germanium.
What is germanium fuzz?
The Germanium Fuzz is a fuzz pedal . The knobs change the sounds. ... This pedal is designed around two germanium 2N527 OR 2N404 Germanium Transistors. They have been graded for gain and leakage and carefully matched to sound their best.
Why silicon is the best semiconductor?
The number of photons having energy higher than the silicon gap are the greatest on the solar spectra and that’s why silicon is the most known semiconductor material used for solar cells since its energy gap is about 1.1 ev, while the photons flux density is the highest for those carrying energy more than 1.1 ev.
Is germanium a semiconductor?
Pure germanium is a semiconductor with an appearance similar to elemental silicon. ... Elemental germanium is used as a semiconductor in transistors and various other electronic devices.
Do pure semiconductors obey Ohm’s law?
In semiconductor, Ohms law is obeyed only for low electric field (less than 106Vm-1). Above this field, the current becomes almost independent of applied field, hence Ohm’s law is not obeyed in semiconductors.
Why silicon and germanium are used as semiconductors?
Silicon and germanium are used here effectively because they have 4 valence electrons in their outermost shell , which gives them the ability to gain or lose electrons equally at the same time.
What is the maximum value of PIV for germanium?
| Peak Inv. Voltage PIV Max. Aver. Rectified Current l o At 25 o C | Part no. Volts MA | 1N34A 60 50 | 1N60 50 30 |
Is zener a diode?
A Zener diode is a silicon semiconductor device that permits current to flow in either a forward or reverse direction. The diode consists of a special, heavily doped p-n junction, designed to conduct in the reverse direction when a certain specified voltage is reached.
What is the function of silicon diode?
A diode is a widely used two-terminal circuit element that minimizes current flow in one direction (reverse bias), while easily carrying current in the other direction (forward bias). A semiconductor material that changes abruptly from p-type to n-type has this property.
