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 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.
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 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 silicon is used in semiconductor?
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. In Japan, refined Silicon (ingot) with purity of at least 98% is imported from Australia, China and Brazil, where electricity is relatively inexpensive.
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 silicon used in transistors?
Silicon is used for electronic devices because it is an element with very special properties . ... Silicon’s electrical properties can be modified through a process called doping. These characteristics make it an ideal material for making transistors that amplify electrical signals.
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.
What is a 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 are germanium transistors?
In the audio world, germanium served as a semiconductor in integrated circuits and transistors , particularly in the 1960s; it was largely replaced by silicon for this role beginning in the early 1970s because silicon was much more stable. ...
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 .
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.
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.
What are 3 uses of silicon?
- The element is a major constituent in ceramics and bricks.
- Being a semiconductor, the element is put into use for making transistors.
- Silicon is widely used in computer chips and solar cells.
- It is a vital component of Portland cement.
- Silicon is used in the production of fire bricks.
