Basic Materials for Electronics: Conductor, Insulator and Semiconductor
Basic Materials for Electronics: Conductor, Insulator and Semiconductor
Today electronics is
very important in our modern life. We are surrounded by electronics devices.
From morning to night, every time, every second we use electronic devices to
accelerate our daily work, to make our life easier. Computer, TV, mobile and
there are thousands of electronic device which are mode of diode, transistor
and integrated circuits. To understand how these devices work, we first have to
study and understand the semiconductor materials that neither conductors nor
insulators. Semiconductor contains some free electrons but these amounts of
electrons are not sufficient to use in practical application.
Depending on the conductivity or presence of
electrons in a material, materials are divided into three categories.
1. Conductor
2. Semiconductor
3. Insulator
From Bohr’s atom model and from atom model, we know
that a atom consists of three particle
1. Electron
2. Proton
and
3. Neutron
Proton is positively
charged particle (Ve+) and it charge is 1.62×10-19C and Neutron is
neutral. These two particle forms the nucleus of the atom and electron rotates
this nucleus at certain orbit or shells, which is negatively charged and its
charge is - 1.62×10-19C.
Valence Orbit and Valence Electron:
In electronics, all
that matters is valence orbit and valence electrons. Valence orbit is the outer
orbit of an atom and the electrons that stay in this orbit is called valence
electrons. This orbit controls the electrical properties of atom.
Free Electrons:
The attraction between
the core and the valence electron is very week, a small outside force can
easily separate this electrons from their valence orbit and become free. That’s
why we often call the valence electron a free electron.
Conductor:
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Conductor |
A conductor is an
element whose resistivity is very low and conductivity is very high. The best conductors are silver, copper and
gold. The best conductors have one valence electron.
Insulators:
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Insulator |
A insulator is an
element whose resistivity is very high and conductivity is very low. Good
insulators are glass, wood etc. The best insulators have eight valence
electron.
Semiconductor:
A semiconductor is an
element with electrical properties between those of a conductor and those of an
insulator. Some common semiconductors are germanium, silicon etc. The best
semiconductors have four valence electrons.
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