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Related Concept Videos

Semiconductors01:22

Semiconductors

There is variation in the electrical conductivity of materials - metals, semiconductors, and insulators that are showcased with the help of the energy band diagrams.
Metals such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), or lead (Pb) have low resistivity and feature conduction bands that are either not fully occupied or overlap with the valence band, making a bandgap non-existent. This allows electrons in the highest energy levels of the valence band to easily transition to the conduction band upon gaining...
Carrier Transport01:21

Carrier Transport

The generation of electrical current in semiconductors is fundamentally driven by two mechanisms: drift and diffusion. These processes are essential for the functionality and performance of semiconductor-based devices.
Drift Current:
The drift of charge carriers is started by an external electric field (E). Charged particles, such as electrons and holes, experience an acceleration between collisions with lattice atoms. For electrons, this results in a drift velocity (vd) given by:
Fermi Level Dynamics01:12

Fermi Level Dynamics

The vacuum level denotes the energy threshold required for an electron to escape from a material surface. It is usually positioned above the conduction band of a semiconductor and acts as a benchmark for comparing electron energies within various materials.
Electron affinity in semiconductors refers to the energy gap between the minimum of its conduction band and the vacuum level and it is a critical parameter in determining how easily a semiconductor can accept additional electrons.
The work...
Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:24

Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

The contact of metal and semiconductor can lead to the formation of a junction with either Schottky or Ohmic behavior.
Schottky Barriers
Schottky barriers arise when a metal with a work function (Φm) contacts a semiconductor with a different work function (Φs). Initially, electrons transfer until the Fermi levels of the metal and semiconductor align at equilibrium. For instance, if Φm > Φs, the semiconductor Fermi level is higher than the metal's before contact. The semiconductor's...
Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions01:27

Biasing of Metal-Semiconductor Junctions

Biasing metal-semiconductor junctions involves applying a voltage across the junction. Specifically, the metal is connected to a voltage source, while the semiconductor is grounded. This technique is essential for controlling the direction and magnitude of current flow in electronic devices, including diodes, transistors, and photovoltaic cells.
In Schottky junctions, where the semiconductor is n-type, applying a positive voltage to the metal relative to the semiconductor reduces its Fermi...
Fermi Level01:18

Fermi Level

The Fermi-Dirac function is represented by an S-shaped curve indicating the probability of an energy state being occupied by an electron at a given temperature. The Fermi level is the energy level at which there is a fifty percent chance of finding an electron, and it is positioned between the lower-energy valence band and the higher-energy conduction band.
At absolute zero temperature, electrons fill all energy states up to the Fermi level, leaving upper states empty. As the temperature rises,...

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Ohmic Contact Fabrication Using a Focused-ion Beam Technique and Electrical Characterization for Layer Semiconductor Nanostructures
08:12

Ohmic Contact Fabrication Using a Focused-ion Beam Technique and Electrical Characterization for Layer Semiconductor Nanostructures

Published on: December 5, 2015

Conductance fluctuations in semiconductor nanostructures.

Bobo Liu1, R Akis, D K Ferry

  • 1School of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal
|September 4, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Numerical simulations reveal that magneto-conductance fluctuations are smaller than energy fluctuations in semiconductors and graphene. The amplitude of these conductance variations depends on the random potential strength.

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Area of Science:

  • Condensed matter physics
  • Mesoscopic physics

Background:

  • Conductance fluctuations are well-documented phenomena in semiconductors and graphene.
  • A prevailing belief suggested universality in conductance variance across energy and magnetic field variations, though experimental evidence has challenged this.
  • Understanding these fluctuations is crucial for characterizing electronic transport in disordered materials.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between conductance fluctuations and variations in energy and magnetic field.
  • To numerically determine the relative magnitudes of conductance fluctuations under different conditions.
  • To explore the impact of random potential strength on the amplitude of these fluctuations.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing numerical simulations to model conductance fluctuations.
  • Comparing fluctuation amplitudes resulting from energy variations versus magnetic field variations.
  • Analyzing the dependence of fluctuation amplitude on the strength of the random potential.

Main Results:

  • Numerical simulations indicate that magneto-conductance fluctuations are typically smaller than energy fluctuations by up to a factor of three.
  • The amplitude of conductance fluctuations in both scenarios (energy and magnetic field) is shown to vary with the strength of the random potential.
  • This finding challenges the previously assumed universality in conductance variance.

Conclusions:

  • The study demonstrates a quantitative difference between conductance fluctuations induced by energy and magnetic field variations.
  • The random potential strength significantly influences the amplitude of conductance fluctuations, impacting their universality.
  • Results suggest a more nuanced understanding of electronic transport in disordered systems is required.