NSM Archive - Band structure and carrier concentration of Silicon (Si)

Band structure and carrier concentration
Basic ParametersTemperature Dependencies
Dependence of the Energy Gap on Hydrostatic Pressure
Energy Gap Narrowing at High Doping Levels
Effective Masses
Donors and Acceptors
Most Important Deep Levels Impurities
Basic Parameters
Energy gap | 1.12 eV |
Energy separation (EΓL) | 4.2 eV |
Energy spin-orbital splitting | 0.044 eV |
Intrinsic carrier concentration | 1·1010 cm-3 |
Intrinsic resistivity | 3.2·105Ω·cm |
Effective conduction band density of states | 3.2·1019 cm-3 |
Effective valence band density of states | 1.8·1019 cm-3 |
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Band structure of Si at 300 K. Eg = 1.12 eV EL = 2.0 eV EX = 1.2 eV Eso = 0.044 eV EΓ1 = 3.4 eV EΓ2 = 4.2 eV |
Temperature Dependences
Temperature dependence of the energy gap
Eg = 1.17 - 4.73·10-4·T2/(T+636) (eV),where T is temperature in degrees K.
Temperature dependence of the direct band gap EΓ2
EΓ2 = 4.34 - 3.91·10-4·T2/(T+125) (eV)Intrinsic carrier concentration
ni=(Nc·Nv )1/2·exp(-Eg/(2kBT])Effective density of states in the conduction band
Nc=4.82·1015·M·(mc/mo)3/2·T3/2 = 4.82·1015·M·(mcd/mo)3/2·T3/2 (cm-3),or
Nc=6.2·1015·T3/2 (cm-3),
M = 6 is the number of equivalent valleys in the conduction band.
mc = 0.36mo is the effective mass of the density of states in one valley of conduction band.
mcd = 1.18mo is the effective mass of the density of states.
Effective density of states in the valence band
Nv = 3.5·1015·T3/2 (cm-3).![]() |
The temperature dependence of the intrinsic carrier concentration. (Shur [1990]). |
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Fermi level versus temperature for different concentrations of shallow donors and acceptors. (Grove [1967]). |
Dependence of the Energy Gap on Hydrostatic Pressure
Eg=Eg(0)-1.4·10-3P (eV)Energy Gap Narrowing at High Doping Levels
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Electrical and optical energy gap narrowing versus donor doping density. (Van Overstaeten and Mertens [1987]). |
ΔEgel ~ 3.5·10-8·Nd1/3 (eV)
(Nd in cm-3).
Effective Masses
Electrons: | |
The surfaces of equal energy are ellipsoids. | |
ml= 0.98mo | |
mt= 0.19mo | |
Effective mass of density of states | mc = 0.36mo |
There are 6 equivalent valleys in the conduction band. | |
mcc= 0.26mo | |
Holes: | |
Heavy | mh = 0.49mo |
Light | mlp = 0.16mo |
Split-off band | mso = 0.24mo |
Effective mass of density of states | mv = 0.81mo |
Donors and Acceptors
Ionization energies of shallow donors (eV):
As | P | Sb |
0.054 | 0.045 | 0.043 |
Ionization energies of shallow acceptors (eV):
Al | B | Ga | In |
0.072 | 0.045 | 0.074 | 0.157 |
Most Important Deep Levels Impurities
Impurity | Type | Position in the Forbidden group |
σn (cm2) | σp(cm2) |
Au | d | Ev+ 0.35 eV | 10-15 | 3.5·10-15 |
a | Ec- 0.55 eV | 8·10-17 | 9.0·10-15 | |
Cu | d | Ev+ 0.24 eV | 3.5·10-20 | |
a | Ev+ 0.37 eV | |||
a | Ev+ 0.52 eV | |||
Fe | d | Ev+ 0.39 eV | 2.0·10-17 | |
Ni | a | Ec- 0.35 eV | 7·10-12 | |
a | Ev+ 0.23 eV | |||
Pt | d | Ev+ 0.32 eV | 5·10-14 | ~ 10-15 |
a | Ev+ 0.36 eV | |||
a | Ec- 0.25 eV | |||
Zn | a | Ev+ 0.32 eV | 10-15 | 10-13 |
a | Ec- 0.5 eV | 10-19 | 10-13 |