Why Is GE Preferred Over SI?

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 is mostly chosen over 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 transistor more commonly used compared to germanium transistor?

Silicon as a semiconductor has wider bandgap than germanium and therefore it can be operated at a much higher temperature up to 120 degree centigrade . It interstice concentration is much less than Ge and therefore the reverse saturation current has much less values for Si which means less of currents.

Why silicon is mostly preferred as a semiconductor material?

Each Silicon atom is combined with four neighboring silicon atoms by four bonds. Silicon, a very common element, is used as the raw material of semiconductors because of its stable structure . Purification of Silicon consumes large amounts of power.

What is difference between silicon and germanium?

Silicon is a chemical element with atomic number 14 and chemical symbol Si while germanium is a chemical element with atomic number 32 and chemical symbol is Ge. The key difference between silicon and germanium is that Germanium has d electrons , but Silicon does not have any d electrons.

Why is the silicon mostly chosen?

Summary: At room temperature, Silicon crystal has fewer free electrons than Germanium crystal . This implies that silicon will have much smaller Collector cut off current than Germanium. The variation of Collector cut off current with temperature is less in Silicon compared to Germanium.

Why Si is a better insulator than GE?

First reason is that Si forms on its surface very easily a thin layer of SiO2 which is a very good insulator and which technologically can be very easily processed. Ge has higher electron and hole mobilities and because of this Ge devices can function up to a higher frequency than Si devices.

Why is germanium used in transistors?

The superior electron and hole mobility of germanium as well as its low melting point has spurred much research into replacing current silicon based devices with germanium. The electron and hole mobility of a material is the rate at which the electrons and holes can move through the material.

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.

What is the best semiconductor material?

Not as widely used these days as better semiconductor materials are available. Silicon is the most widely used type of semiconductor material. Its major advantage is that it is easy to fabricate and provides good general electrical and mechanical properties.

Is silicon a insulator?

In a silicon lattice, all silicon atoms bond perfectly to four neighbors, leaving no free electrons to conduct electric current. This makes a silicon crystal an insulator rather than a conductor. ... A pure silicon crystal is nearly an insulator — very little electricity will flow through it.

Is gold a semiconductor?

A gold layer consisting of only two atomic layers conducts like a metal. ... They could indeed show that the extremely thin layer of gold develops its own electronic – and semiconductor – properties.

Which is better silicon or germanium?

In present, Silicon is preferred over Germanium for semiconductor. ... The reason is, Silicon can be worked at a higher temperature as compared to germanium. The structure of Germanium crystals will be destroyed at higher temperature. Also, Silicon has much smaller leakage current 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 silicon and germanium used for?

Silicon-germanium serves as a semiconductor in integrated circuits for heterojunction bipolar transistors or as a strain-inducing layer for CMOS transistors. Here heterojunction refers to the interface between two layers or regions of dissimilar crystalline semiconductors.

What is the maximum value of PIV for germanium?