List of top Physics Questions on Semiconductors asked in CBSE CLASS XII

Suppose a pure Si crystal has \( 5 \times 10^{28} \) atoms per \( \text{m}^3 \). It is doped with \( 5 \times 10^{22} \) atoms per \( \text{m}^3 \) of Arsenic. Calculate majority and minority carrier concentration in the doped silicon. (Given: \( n_i = 1.5 \times 10^{16} \, \text{m}^{-3} \))

Draw a circuit diagram of a full-wave rectifier using p-n junction diodes. Explain its working and show the input-output waveforms.

Two parallel plate capacitors X and Y are connected in series to a 6 V battery. They have the same plate area and same plate separation but capacitor X has air between its plates, whereas capacitor Y contains a material of dielectric constant 4. Calculate the capacitances of X and Y, if the equivalent capacitance of the combination of X and Y is \( 4 \, \mu\text{F} \). Calculate the potential difference across the plates of X and Y.

Two statements are given, one labelled Assertion (A) and the other labelled Reason (R). Select the correct answer from the codes (A), (B), (C), and (D) as given below.
Assertion (A): The impurities in p-type Si are not pentavalent atoms.
Reason (R): The hole density in the valence band in a p-type semiconductor is almost equal to the acceptor density.

Extrinsic semiconductors are made by doping pure or intrinsic semiconductors with suitable impurity. There are two types of dopants used in doping, Si or Ge, and using them p-type and n-type semiconductors can be obtained. A p-n junction is the basic building block of many semiconductor devices. Two important processes occur during the formation of a p-n junction: diffusion and drift. When such a junction is formed, a ’depletion layer’ is created consisting of immobile ion-cores. This is responsible for a junction potential barrier. The width of a depletion layer and the height of potential barrier changes when a junction is forward-biased or reverse-biased. A semiconductor diode is basically a p-n junction with metallic contacts provided at the ends for application of an external voltage. Using diodes, alternating voltages can be rectified.

A p-type Si semiconductor is made by doping an average of one dopant atom per \( 5 \times 10^7 \) silicon atoms. If the number density of silicon atoms in the specimen is \( 5 \times 10^{28} \, \text{atoms m}^{-3} \), find the number of holes created per cubic centimeter in the specimen due to doping. Also give one example of such dopants.

When a p-n junction diode is forward biased, the: