An extrinsic semiconductor is a semiconductor that has been doped, that is, into which a doping agent has been introduced, giving it different electrical properties than the intrinsic (pure) semiconductor.
Doping involves adding dopant atoms to an intrinsic semiconductor, which changes the electron and hole carrier concentrations of the semiconductor at thermal equilibrium. Dominant carrier concentrations in an extrinsic semiconductor classify it as either an n-type or p-type semiconductor. The electrical properties of extrinsic semiconductors make them essential components of many electronic devices.
Read more about Extrinsic Semiconductor: Semiconductor Doping, Use of Extrinsic Semiconductors
Famous quotes containing the word extrinsic:
“Authors communicate with the people by some special extrinsic mark; I am the first to do so by my entire being, as Michel de Montaigne.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)