There are several reasons Silicon has become the preferred semiconductor in the present, over Germanium. ... Silicon has large band gap (1.12eV) than germanium (0.7eV) . So, at same temperature, the thermal pair generation in silicon is less than germanium. However, the germanium diode has one major advantage over Si.
Why do we prefer silicon 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 silicon is more used than 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.
Why is silicon preferred to fabricate semiconductors?
Silicon material has been widely used in semiconductor device fabrication because of its low cost and its producibility of high quality silicon dioxide needed for impurity diffusion and surface passivation processes .
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.
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.
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 |
Why is Si preferred over Ge Mcq?
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. ... Peak Inverse Voltage ratings of Silicon diodes are greater than Germanium diodes. Si is less expensive due to the greater abundance of element.
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?
Germanium played an essential role in the development of the first transistor and its usefulness as a semiconductor thus became recognized. ... 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.
Why is there a silicon shortage?
One is that there’s a global semiconductor shortage as a result of geopolitical rivalry between the US and China . This was triggered initially by the decision to exclude Huawei from western mobile networks.
Why germanium is not used in SCR?
Thyristor is not made using germanium, because. its current handling capacity is less than silicon . it is a stable semiconductor. it has high leakage current.
Is germanium a better semiconductor than silicon?
There are several reasons Silicon has become the preferred semiconductor in the present, over Germanium. ... Silicon has large band gap (1.12eV) than germanium (0.7eV). So, at same temperature, the thermal pair generation in silicon is less than germanium. However, the germanium diode has one major advantage over Si .
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.
What is the characteristics of silicon diode?
A diode operates in conjunction with a resistor within a circuit. Voltage Direction The direction electrons flow in a diode is characterized by forward and reverse modes . In a forward-biased diode, current flows in a positive direction, whereas in a reverse-biased diode, current flows in a negative direction.
