Semiconductor Interfaces

Abstract

This article describes the properties of semiconductors that are responsible for the operation of rectifiers, transistors, photovoltaic devices, and light emitting. The penetration of the electric field and the electric potential into a bulk semiconductor phase yields a nonuniform carrier concentration in the sample, and produces contacts that either attract or repel specific types of charge carriers. Chemical control over these electric fields is crucial to the technology of semiconductor contacts. In principle, such control can be established through a simple variation in the electrochemical potential of the contacting phase. In practice, this ideal model often does not apply, and other factors influence or completely determine the interfacial electric field strength. The application of these principles is described for semiconductor/semiconductor, semiconductor/metal, semiconductor/liquid, and semiconductor/polymer contacts, making the approach valuable for understanding the operational principles of a variety of technologically important semiconductor devices.

Additional details