Physics · Ch 14 — Semiconductors
p-n junction
p-n junction
When n-type and p-type semiconductor materials are brought together (fused), the resulting structure is called a P-N JUNCTION (Fig. 14.15). A p-n junction shows a range of interesting properties, and it forms the structural basis of almost every modern electronic device -- the following sub-sections build up, step by step, exactly why a p-n junction behaves the way it does: how diffusion of carriers across the junction creates a depletion region and potential barrier, and how applying an ex …
What this figure shows. A simple rectangular block diagram split down the middle into two halves that are shown as physically joined/fused together along a single vertical junction line. The left half is labelled P-TYPE and is shown containing the p-region's charge carriers (predominantly holes, with a scattering of minority electrons); the right half is labelled N-TYPE and is shown containing the n-region's charge carriers (predominantly free electrons, with a scattering of minority holes). The vertical line where the two halves meet is marked as the JUNCTION -- the boundary plane at which the physically distinct p-type and n-type materials are joined to form the single p …